title: Intensity-modulated stereotactic radiosurgery for arteriovenous malformations: guidance for treatment planning.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) is a common tool used to treat Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs) in anatomical locations associated with a risk of surgical complications. Despite high rates of clinical effectiveness, SRS carries a risk of toxicity as a result of radiation injury to brain tissue. The use of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) has increased because it may lead to improved PTV conformity and better Normal Tissue (NT) sparing compared to 3D Conformal Radiotherapy (3DCRT). The aim of this study was twofold: 1) to develop simple patient stratification rules for the recommendation of IMRT planning strategies over 3DCRT in the treatment of AVMs with SRS; and 2) to estimate the impact of IMRT in terms of toxicity reduction using retrospectively reported data for symptomatic radiation injury following SRS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-one AVM patients previously treated with 3DCRT were replanned in a commercial treatment planning system using 3DCRT and static gantry IMRT with identical beam arrangements. The radiotherapy planning metrics analyzed included AVM volume, diameter, and volume to surface area ratio. The dosimetric endpoints analyzed included conformity index improvements and NT sparing measured by the maximum NT dose, and the volume of surrounding tissue that received 7Gy and 12Gy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our analysis revealed stratified subsets of patients for IMRT that were associated with improved conformity, and those that were associated with decreased doses to normal tissue. The stratified patients experienced an improvement in conformity index by -6-68%, a reduction in the maximum NT dose by -0.5-12.3%, a reduction in the volume of NT receiving 7Gy by 1-8 cc, and a reduction in the volume of NT receiving 12Gy by 0-3.7 cc. The reduction in NT receiving 12Gy translated to a theoretical decrease in the probability of symptomatic injury by 0-9.3%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This work indicates the potential for significant patient improvements when treating AVMs and provides rules to predict which patients are likely to benefit from IMRT.
authors.affiliation: British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver Centre, 600 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4E6, Canada. marcus.sonier@sunnybrook.ca.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sonier
authors.forename: Ermias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gete
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herbert
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McKenzie
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Vitali
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Moiseenko
mesh_terms: D001165:Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000601:surgery*; D001921:Brain / Q000528:radiation effects; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D016634:Radiosurgery / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted / Q000592:standards; D050397:Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000592:standards; D012189:Retrospective Studies