Stereotactic radiosurgery is not new to medicine despite its recent growth and the attention it has received. Since the initial inception of the idea, the technology has evolved from a solely intracranial application with the Gamma Knife® to the newer extracranial versions with machines such as the CyberKnife® and the Novalis Tx™. This type of high dose, extremely targeted radiation initially became the standard of care for the neurosurgery community as they saw tremendous success with intracranial treatments. This initial success led the medical community to work toward similar treatments for extracranial indications. Fortunately, with advances in imaging and image guidance, physicians are now able to use this technology throughout the body as they track tumors that move and target them with such precision and accuracy that they are able to safely treat tumors near critical structures. With the evolution of the technology the population of patients that can be treated with stereotactic radiosurgery has grown exponentially.

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