The procedures performed with stereotaxy and computer-assisted image-guided neurosurgery are computer-assisted image-guided craniotomy, computer-assisted image-guided biopsy, and radiosurgery.
At the time of consultation, the team will review medical records, imaging studies, and treatment history. Based on the findings from this review, the team will discuss treatment options. These may include the Novalis therapy alone or in combination with surgery, conventional radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy. The Mount Sinai team will work with the patient and the patient’s family and doctors to individualize the best treatment plan.
Candidates for this treatment are patients who have the following conditions:
Most intracranial lesions are not obvious upon opening the skull and its membranes. A surgeon may have difficulty in knowing where the lesion ends and normal brain begins, in spite of the fact that this information is usually clear on the imaging studies. Indeed, there may even be difficulty in finding some lesions that are not abutting the surface. Searching for the lesion or removing normal brain tissue may result in unnecessary complications. The use of a stereotactic, computer-assisted image-guided system allows us to find and reach the lesion(s) precisely.
(For a patient receiving single fraction treatment for a brain lesion)
The patient will experience a short wait while the stereotactic radiosurgery team, including the radiation oncologist, the neurosurgeon, and the radiation physicist, load the 3-D images onto the Novalis Shaped Beam Surgery System computer. The planning phase also involves outlining the lesion, calculating its precise measurements, and prescribing the dose of radiation.
Placement of the Head Frame
After the planning phase has been completed, the patient will be positioned on the table in the open treatment room. The frame will be attached to the table so that the patient’s head will remain in the proper position throughout the treatment. The doctor first fits a circular, metallic frame to the head. The purpose is to hold the head in place during radiation planning and treatment. Typically this step takes approximately 30 minutes.
Diagnostic Imaging
After the frame is in place, an imaging box is attached to the frame, and a series of three-dimensional (3-D) images are taken via computed tomography (CT) and/or angiography. It should be noted that prior to the day of radiosurgery a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will also be performed. These images display the shape and size of the lesion, as well as its exact location. Characteristically, this phase takes approximately 30 minutes.
Once the procedure begins, the patient will not feel the beams as they target the cells of the lesion. This process is generally completed within one hour.
Discharge
Once the Novalis Shaped Beam Surgery System procedure is completed and the head frame is removed, the patient is free to return home. He/She can resume all normal activities, including washing the face and hair as usual. Before leaving the hospital, a follow-up appointment with the doctors will be scheduled.
Talk to us: (212) 241-9638
(212) 241-7501
Contact(s):
Stereotactic Radiosurgery
Location:
The Mount Sinai Hospital 1190 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10029
Fax:
(212) 831-3324
(212) 410-7194
