Gamma knife radiosurgery for acromegaly - long-term experience

• Published in: Clinical endocrinology (Oxford) 2006-05, Vol.64 (5), p.588-595
• Main Authors: Ježková, Jana, Marek, Josef, Hána, Václav, Kršek, Michal, Weiss, Vladimír, Vladyka, Vilibald, Lišák, Roman, Vymazal, Josef, Pecen, Ladislav
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acromegaly - blood; Acromegaly - etiology; Acromegaly - surgery; Adenoma - blood; Adenoma - complications; Adenoma - surgery; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Glucose - analysis; Combined Modality Therapy; Endocrinopathies; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Growth Hormone - blood; Humans; Hypothalamus. Hypophysis. Epiphysis (diseases); Insulin-Like Growth Factor I - analysis; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neurosurgical Procedures; Non tumoral diseases. Target tissue resistance. Benign neoplasms; Pituitary Neoplasms - blood; Pituitary Neoplasms - complications; Pituitary Neoplasms - surgery; Radiosurgery - instrumentation; Statistics, Nonparametric; Treatment Outcome; Vertebrates: endocrinology
• ISSN: 0300-0664; 1365-2265
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.2006.02513.x

Summary Objective  The Leksell gamma knife (LGK) is one of the treatment options for pituitary adenomas. We report on our long‐term experience treating acromegaly using LGK. Design   Since 1993 we have followed 96 acromegaly patients through periods of from 12 to 120 months. The mean follow‐up period was 53·7 ± 26·8 months. Seventy‐two patients were treated with neurosurgery prior to LGK; for 24 LGK was the primary treatment. Thirteen patients were irradiated twice, due to persistent activity of the adenoma or its residue. Pituitary functions were tested at 6‐month intervals, post‐irradiation. The target tumour volume for radiosurgery was between 93·3 and 12 700 mm3 (median 1350 mm3). Results  Fifty per cent of the patients achieved mean GH