Expert Radioneurosurgery in Las Vegas, NV at Dignity Health - St. Rose Dominican Hospitals

Radioneurosurgery is a form of radiation therapy and is the very precise application of radiation to a specific location in the brain. Doctors use it not only for brain tumors, but for an increasing number of neurological conditions, including nerve conditions and blood vessel problems. 

Instead of traditional brain surgery with incisions in the skull to access the brain and remove a tumor, the energy from radiation is used to destroy cancerous cells and shrinks tumors. It also can treat abnormal blood vessels at risk of bleeding and other conditions localized to specific areas of the brain. The radiation is delivered stereotactically, which means the radiation beam lines up precisely with coordinates on a computer-generated three-dimensional (3-D) map of the brain. The treatment is extremely accurate, and the radiation dosage is expertly calculated, reducing damage to surrounding tissue.

Radioneurosurgery treats tumors that cannot be accessed safely with traditional radiation therapy and neurosurgery due to the risk of harming healthy brain tissue. People with tumors that are either inoperable or difficult to access may benefit from the procedure. 

The most common conditions treated with radioneurosurgery are:

  • Painful nerve disorders such as trigeminal neuralgia
  • Parkinson’s disease tremor
  • Cerebral arteriovenous malformations, which are abnormal blood vessels in the brain
  • Brain tumors

If your doctor believes you could benefit from radioneurosurgery in Las Vegas or Henderson, NV, the doctors at Dignity Health - St. Rose Dominican Hospitals can walk you through the procedure and recovery steps. Find a neurosurgeon or learn more about our services and physicians today.

 

What to Expect from Radioneurosurgery

When the procedure starts, your care team will place numbing medicine on your scalp and fit a plastic frame to your head to keep it still during treatment. Imaging studies done beforehand will generate a 3-D map of your brain and be used to guide the treatment. 

During the procedure, you lie on a table with your head immobilized while the radiation beam targets the lesion inside the skull. The machine may gently turn your head during the procedure to more precisely deliver energy to the target.

Radiosurgery is painless. No incisions or sedation are necessary. The procedure can take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours. You may receive a one-time treatment or multiple treatments on different days, depending on your specific condition.

 

Radioneurosurgery Recovery

You will likely go home the same day as your radioneurosurgery. Arrange for someone to bring you and take you home. Expect to take it easy for the rest of the day and resume your normal activities the next day. Although complications from radioneurosurgery are not common, tell your doctor if you experience headache, confusion, or any other symptoms.

Radioneurosurgery provides a noninvasive way to relieve pain, reduce tremors, and shrink or eliminate brain tumors. With personalized, successful treatment from a dedicated radioneurosurgery care team, patients can significantly improve their well-being and quality of life.

Dignity Health - St. Rose Dominican hospitals provides radioneurosurgery in Las Vegas and Henderson, NV.