title: Radiobiologic models for radiosurgery.
abstract: A series of initial radiobiologic investigations have been performed using three animal models. The baboon model proved to be a valuable technique to assess the in vivo radiobiologic response of single-fraction irradiation doses delivered to the primate brain stem. Multimodality neurodiagnostic testing, including CT, MR imaging, xenon-enhanced CT, evoked potential studies, and analysis of CSF myelin basic protein levels, all of which eventually were correlated with neuropathologic examination, enabled detection of lesions produced with high-dose (150 Gy) radiosurgery as early as 6 weeks. Within the first 6 months after radiosurgery, lower doses (20 Gy, 50 Gy) did not result in clinically or neurodiagnostically detectable lesions. The rat arteriovenous fistula model permits analysis of the delayed histopathologic effects of radiosurgery on an experimentally created fistula designed to mimic an AVM. The rat C6 glioma model is designed to evaluate the effect of radiosurgery in an infiltrative tumor that simulates a human malignant brain tumor. These studies are intended eventually to increase our knowledge about the safety and efficacy of radiosurgery in both the normal and tumor-implanted brains. We believe that such fundamental studies ultimately will improve our ability to reach the goals of radiosurgery: to destroy the target and spare the surrounding brain. Eventually, it may become feasible to achieve these goals by combining radiosurgical technique with both radiation sensitizers (for the treated volume) and brain protectors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Altschuler
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Lunsford
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kondziolka
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Maitz
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sclabassi
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Flickinger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D004285:Dogs; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005910:Glioma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000882:Haplorhini; D002538:Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D010215:Papio; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental / Q000473:pathology*; D016634:Radiosurgery / Q000295:instrumentation*; D051381:Rats