Outcomes of gamma knife treatment for solid intracranial hemangioblastomas

The aim of this study was to examine the results of gamma knife radiosurgery for 13 patients with residual/recurrent or newly diagnosed solid hemangioblastomas. The 13 patients had 34 solid hemangioblastomas, and all patients underwent gamma knife radiosurgery. Seven patients had von Hippel–Lindau disease and six had sporadic disease. When individual lesions were considered, the overall mean dose at the tumor periphery was 15.8 Gy (range: 12–25 Gy) and the average maximum tumor dose was 31.6 Gy (range: 24–50 Gy). The mean duration of follow-up with MRI was 50.2 months. At the last follow-up evaluation, growth control was achieved for all tumors (partial remission in three tumors [8.8%] and no change in 31 tumors [91.2%]). No radiation-related complications were encountered. Our findings reinforce the view that gamma knife radiosurgery is effective and safe for the management of solid hemangioblastomas with a diameter less than 3 cm, whether they are sporadic or associated with von Hippel–Lindau disease. The high response rate and lack of any radiation-induced side-effects confirms the suitability of the doses used in the present study.