Radiation therapy in neurologic disease

Radiotherapy is a primary mode of treatment of many of the disease entities seen by the neurologist. Therefore knowledge of how ionizing radiation works and when it is indicated is a crucial part of the field of Neurology. The neurologist may also be confronted with some of the side effects and complications or radiotherapy treatment. This chapter attempts to serve as a review of the current day process of radiotherapy, a brief review of biology and physics of radiation, and how it is used in the treatment diseases which are common to the Neurologist. In addition we review the more commonly seen side effects and complications of treatment which may be seen by the neurologist.