Four men and two women were treated for refractory cluster headache by gamma knife radiosurgery of the trigeminal nerve root entry zone. The maximum dose of radiation was 70 Gy to the isocenter. Of five patients treated who had refractory chronic cluster headache and one with refractory episodic cluster headache, four had relief judged excellent. Of the two remaining patients with refractory chronic cluster headache, one had relief judged good and the other fair. Five of the six patients treated had relief within a few days to a week following gamma knife radiosurgery. Three with chronic cluster headache had remissions allowing cessation of all preventive and abortive medication. Although one patient experienced complete relief of chronic cluster headache, he continued to have migraine requiring medication. None of the patients treated developed significant postradiation side effects during a follow-up period of 8 to 14 months. The authors conclude that gamma knife radiosurgery of the trigeminal nerve affords great promise in the management of chronic and refractory cluster headache. The technique seemingly carries negligible short- and long- term risk.
The PS/EP system is designed to improve the accuracy and conformality of the radiation dose, creating a steep dose gradient outside the melanoma to decrease radiation to surrounding ocular structures. We report favorable rates of local tumor control, globe salvage, metastases, and radiation complications when compared to the Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study and other studies. Overall, the PS/EP system results in excellent tumor control and appears to optimize long-term visual and radiation-related outcomes after brachytherapy.
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