Contemporary radiosurgery of cerebral cavernous malformations: Part 2. Treatment outcome for hemispheric lesions

OBJECTIVEThe role of radiosurgery (RS) in treating superficial cavernous malformations (CMs) is insufficiently studied in part because of the disappointing results of early experimental attempts as compared to the mostly safe and effective microsurgery. Nonetheless, because of lesion- or treatment-specific factors, a therapeutic alternative may be required. In this study, the authors aimed to assess the safety of RS in treating superficial CMs and to analyze its long-term effect on hemorrhage rates and epilepsy control.METHODSThe authors conducted a retrospective analysis of 96 patients with 109 CMs located in the cerebral or cerebellar hemispheres and treated with RS between 1995 and 2014. A median of 15 Gy (range 10–25 Gy) was given to the 50% prescription isodose level, lesion volume was 604 mm3 (4–8300 mm3), and the prescription isodose volume was 638.5 mm3 (4–9500 mm3). Outcomes were compared to those of 206 deep-seated lesions reported on in another study. Ninety-five patients had available follow-u...