FeedbackIn 2004, John Muir Health became one of the first medical centers in the country to offer stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). This virtually pain-free, radiation-based treatment makes it safer to treat certain types of brain and spine tumors. In most cases, our patients leave the hospital the same day.
John Muir Health is one of a few medical centers outside of an academic setting that offers SRS.
Successful Treatment. Faster Recovery.
Sterotactic radiosurgery is technically not a traditional surgery. We have had the same success treating patients with SRS as we have had using traditional open surgery with fewer complications and a faster recovery period.
As with all of our treatments, we fully discuss the procedure with you and your family beforehand, and involve you in all the decisions that need to be made. We want to make sure you feel comfortable with the treatment and know exactly what to expect.
The goal of the treatment is to shrink or control the growth of the tumor by eradicating the tumor cells or inhibiting the tumor's ability to grow.
To begin treatment, we use sophisticated imaging techniques like CT and MRI to create a 3D software model of the tumor we are treating. Your neurosurgeon and a radiation oncologist, who oversees your radiation treatment, will work with the 3D model to create a detailed treatment plan.
You are then fit with a custom-made mask to keep your head still during treatment with as little discomfort as possible.
Once treatment begins, you are placed on a robotic couch that allows us to adjust your positoning during treatment. We then feed the 3D software model created during the treatment plan into the Novalis® linear accelerator we use for treatment.
The 3D model generates a radiation beam that matches the contours of your tumor. This allows us to deliver a dose of high-energy radiation with a high degree of precision to the tumor site and minimize the amount of harmful radiation that reaches the surrounding healthy tissue.
At every step of the treatment, every effort is made to ensure your complete safety.
We treat a range of neurological conditons with stereotactic radiosurgery, including:
- Brain tumors
- Metastatic tumors in other parts of the body that spread to the brain or spine
- Benign tumors of the brain and cranial nerves
- Pituitary tumors
- Arteriovenous malformations
