Radiosurgery for brain tumours
Radiosurgery is a type of stereotactic radiotherapy. It's not a type of brain surgery.
After your radiosurgery
After treatment with a head frame
When the treatment is over, the radiographers help you out of the machine. They remove the frame.
You go back to the ward and usually stay overnight in hospital.
After treatment with a mask
You can go straight home after your treatment.
Side effects of radiosurgery
Your doctor might give you a dose of steroids before the treatment or straight afterwards. This is to help prevent side effects due to swelling of the brain.
It's not common to have side effects straight after radiosurgery. Let your doctor or nurse if you have any new symptoms or your old symptoms seem to be getting worse.
These side effects might include:
You might feel a bit sick at first. Your nurse can give you anti-sickness medicines to help.
You might feel a bit faint. Make sure you take things slowly.
Let your nurse know if you are feeling very weak or dizzy.
You might have a headache after your treatment. Let your doctor know. Painkillers can help.
You may lose a patch of hair if your tumour was near the surface of your skull. But hair loss is not normally a side effect of radiosurgery.
There is a small risk of a fit (seizure) after radiosurgery. So the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) do not allow you to drive for at least a month afterwards. It may be longer depending on your type of brain tumour.
You may have slight bleeding from the points where the frame was attached to your skull. You might also have tingling or itching where the frame was attached.
This is a normal sign of healing.
It's normal to feel tired for a few days after your treatment.
Long term side effects
A small number of people have long term side effects from radiosurgery. This is because you have very high dose radiation to a very small area. Over a period of time the treated area might develop a small area of dead cells. This is called radiation necrosis.
You are unlikely to have symptoms because the affected area is very small. But in some people radiation necrosis causes swelling that leads to symptoms. This happens in fewer than 1 in 10 people.
You can have treatment with steroids or surgery. You might need high dose steroids for long periods of time.
Fewer than 1 in 20 people need surgery to have the area of dead tissue removed.
