title: Heritage of radiosurgical research, current trends and future perspective.
abstract: Advances in neuroimaging, stereotactic techniques, and robotic technology in the last decade have significantly expanded the applications of radiosurgery. Radiosurgery has become a preferred management modality for many intracranial tumors such as schwannomas, menigiomas and metastatic tumors. While indications of radiosurgery continue to expand, further investigations are critical to understand the mechanism of biological response of CNS tissues to radiation as well as the potential of long-term adverse effects. The effects and the pathogenesis of biologic effects following radiosurgery may be unique. The need for basic research concerning the radiobiology of high-dose single-fraction ionizing radiation on nervous system tissue is crucial. The development of future applications of radiosurgery will depend upon our understanding of radiobiology of radiosurgery. The present review examines the state of radiobiological investigations into the nature of CNS effects, the newer techniques developed, and the use of radiosurgery as a tool for understanding basic CNS biology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, The University of Pittsburgh, and Center for Image-Guided Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pa., USA.
authors.forename: Ajay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Niranjan
authors.forename: Glenn T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Gobbel
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kondziolka
authors.forename: L Dade
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Lunsford
mesh_terms: D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000639:trends; D016634:Radiosurgery / Q000639:trends*; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage