Multisession CyberKnife Radiosurgery for Symptomatic Abducens Nerve Palsy

Abstract

Abducens nerve palsy causes diplopia which lowers patients' quality of life. Nerve palsy due to tumor compression is treated by surgery, but Abducens nerve is difficult to access. Ten patients with benign and malignant tumors in cavernous sinus and cliva were involved in this study: trigeminal schwannoma, meningioma, cavernous hemangioma, metastatic tumors from prostate, breast, and uterus cancer. They were treated with multisession CyberKnife radiosurgery on outpatient bases. Diplopia was treated in all the patients, without any significant adverse effects. The longest follow-up was over 10 years, with all patients leading normal lives. This is the first study to evaluate the use of CyberKnife radiosurgery for the treatment of diplopia.