Radiosurgical Planning

Book excerpt: A self-contained treatment of surgical planning forbeginners and a compendium of tips and tricks for experts Radiosurgery is a complex procedure requiring the physician to construct a radiosurgical plan, i.e., a map that tells the radiation device exactly where to aim the beams of radiation. While there are plenty of books and articles describing radiosurgery's efficacy, until now there has been no instruction manual for those who wish to learn the secrets of its execution in common practice. Radiosurgical Planning: Gamma Tricks and Cyber Picks is the first self-contained instruction manual for both beginners and experts, teaching the art and science of radiosurgery with an emphasis on the use of the Gamma Knife and the CyberKnife for treatment oflesions in both the brain and body. The authors-who together hold more than sixty years of experience in the field of radiosurgery-begin with a discussion of the general principles of radiosurgical planning, radiosurgical algorithms, and an overview of practical first steps for beginners. Next, they offer an extensive compendium of practical tricks and picks for more seasoned experts. Included is a bonus CD-ROM that contains exercise files that can be loaded directly into the Gamma Knife planning software, as well as stand-alone simulation software that allows readers to practice radiosurgical planning without the necessity for a real radiosurgical device. Radiosurgical Planning: Gamma Tricks and Cyber Picks is an indispensable resource for physicians, medical physicists, dosimetrists, neurosurgery and radiation oncology residents, and anyone involved in the expanding field of radiosurgery.