Frameless Radiosurgery Clinical Validation for Functional Radiosurgery Patients

Thierry Gevaert, PhD, Professor in the Department of Radiotherapy at Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel discusses accuracy and frameless clinical validation for functional radiosurgery with a focus on delivering the dose at the correct spot. He begins with the requirements for functional radiosurgery and what can potentially go wrong during treatment. He goes on to outline how dose is delivered to the correct location, which includes accurate targeting using imaging and immobilization to maintain accuracy during treatment. He then explains how frameless targeting is achieved at his institution with ExacTrac. Using a few cases studies, Dr. Gevaert discusses which immobilization method is more accurate: Frameless or frame-based? He addresses concerns about set up errors as well as intrafraction motion. He concludes that with proper immobilization and regular X-Ray verification during treatment, frameless radiosurgery can be delivered safely.