COMPUTER-MEDIATED STEREOTAXIC RADIOSURGERY

STEREOTAXIC RADIOSURGERY MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO DELIVER AN ABLATIVE DOSE OF IONIZING RADIATION WITH HIGH PRECISION TO BRAIN TUMORS WHILE MINIMIZING DAMAGE TO SURROUNDING NORMAL TISSUE. THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO DEVELOP A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM THAT UTILIZES NOVEL TECHNOLOGY TO DRAMATICALLY EXPAND THE APPLICATIONS OF THIS TECHNIQUE. THE UNIQUE FEATURES OF THE PROPOSED SYSTEM, TERMED COMPUTER-MEDIATED STEREOTAXIC RADIO-SURGERY, ARE: (1) ITS RELIANCE ON A NOVEL COMPUTERIZED METHOD FOR TARGET LOCALIZATION AND CONTROL RATHER THAN CONVENTIONAL STEREOTAXIC FRAMES, AND (2) THE UTILIZATION OF AN ULTRA-LOW-WEIGHT, COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE 6-MEV LINEAR ACCELERATOR CURRENTLY BEING USED ONLY FOR INDUSTRIAL RADIOGRAPHY. THIS TECHNOLOGY WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE TREATMENT FOR THE MANY BRAIN TUMORS THAT ARE EITHER INACCESSIBLE OR POORLY ACCESSIBLE BY CONVENTIONAL NEUROSURGICAL TECHNIQUES. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THIS SYSTEM WILL MAKE FRACTIONATED TREATMENTS PRACTICAL, AND AS A CONSEQUENCE, A NEW TYPE OF THERAPY WITH IONIZING RADIATION: ONE THAT BLENDS CONVENTIONAL RADIATION THERAPY TECHNIQUES WITH NEUROSURGICALPRINCIPLES OF ANATOMIC LOCALIZATION. IN ADDITION TO IMPROVING PATIENT CARE, SEVERAL ASPECTS OF THIS TECHNOLOGY HAVE CONSIDERABLE POTENTIAL FOR COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT.