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Published on: April 17, 2012
A late complication of γ knife radiosurgery
1Department of Neurology, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
Reviews in Neurological Diseases
|January 6, 2011
Summary
An 85-year-old man experienced right-sided weakness and aphasia due to a thalamic hemorrhage, years after gamma knife radiosurgery for essential tremor.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Radiology
Background:
- Essential tremor is a common neurological disorder.
- Gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery is a minimally invasive treatment option.
- Warfarin is an anticoagulant medication used to prevent blood clots.
Observation:
- An 85-year-old male patient presented with acute right-sided weakness and expressive aphasia.
- The patient had a history of gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery to the left thalamus 7.5 years prior for essential tremor.
- He was also on warfarin for chronic atrial fibrillation.
Findings:
- A 2-cm left thalamic hemorrhage was identified on computed tomography scan.
- The hemorrhage was located precisely within the area of the previous thalamotomy.
- The patient's symptoms were consistent with a stroke in the thalamic region.
Implications:
- Thalamic hemorrhage can occur years after stereotactic radiosurgery.
- Patients on anticoagulation therapy may be at increased risk.
- Understanding the long-term effects of radiosurgery is crucial for patient management.
