Single Fraction Radiosurgical Tolerance of Brainstem, Trigeminal Nerve, and Meckel's Cave for Facial Numbness.

Purpose: This article reviews toxicity outcomes for a series of patients treated with stereotactic radiosurgery for trigeminal neuralgia, focusing on dose to the brainstem, trigeminal nerve, and Meckel's cave as possible explanatory variables for the development of the most common posttreatment neuropathy, facial numbness.

Methods And Materials: A retrospective review of 136 cases treated with CyberKnife radiosurgery for trigeminal neuralgia was performed. Dose was initially (cohort 1) prescribed to 57 to 64 Gy covering a 6-mm cylindrical shaped target volume ≥2 mm from the dorsal root entry zone.