title: Treatment of epidermoid tumors with gamma knife radiosurgery: Case series.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epidermoid tumors (ETs) are benign lesions that are treated mainly by means of surgical resection, with overall good results. External beam radiotherapy is an alternative treatment for those recurrent tumors, in which a second surgery might not be the best choice for the patient. A little information exists about the effectiveness of gamma knife radiosurgery for the treatment of newly diagnosed and recurrent ETs. We present three cases of ETs treated with gamma knife radiosurgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case 1 is a 21-year-old female with an ET located in the left cerebellopontine angle (CPA) with symptoms related to VIII cranial nerve dysfunction. Symptom control was achieved and maintained after single session radiosurgery with gamma knife. Case 2 is a 59-year-old female patient with the history of trigeminal neuralgia secondary to a recurrent ET located in the left CPA. Significant pain improvement was achieved after treatment with gamma knife radiosurgery. Case 3 is a 29-year-old male patient with a CPA ET causing long lasting trigeminal neuralgia, pain relief was achieved in this patient after gamma knife radiosurgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term symptom relief was achieved in all three cases proving that gamma knife radiosurgery is a good and safe alternative for patients with recurrent or nonsurgically treated ETs.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience, El Bosque University, Bogota, Colombia.
authors.forename: Javier A Jacobo
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Vasquez
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Shaio Clinic, Bogota, Colombia.
authors.forename: Julio R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Fonnegra
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Shaio Clinic, Bogota, Colombia.
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Diez
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Shaio Clinic, Bogota, Colombia.
authors.forename: Andres
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fonnegra
keywords: Epidermoid cyst; epidermoid tumor; gamma knife; radiosurgery; trigeminal neuralgia