First 100 cases of gamma knife radiosurgery in Louisiana: analysis of demographics and early results.

Louisiana's first ever Leksell Gamma Knife was commissioned at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) in Shreveport in January 2000. Between January 2000 and January 2001,113 patients with various indications were treated using the 201-source Co-60 Leksell model "B" Gamma Knife (Elekta Instruments, Atlanta, Georgia) at LSUHSC-Shreveport. Sixty-three patients were female and 50 were male. The patient age ranged between 13 and 87 years (mean age = 57 years). Fifty-eight (51.3%) patients received radiosurgery as the first line of treatment for their disease, while 55 (48.7%) had previous operations or radiation therapy. The median Karnofsky Performance Score of the patients was 80 (range = 70 to 100). Cerebral metastases were the main indication for radiosurgery at our center accounting for 35% of the patients, while meningioma, arteriovenous malformation, trigeminal neuralgia, and primary central nervous system malignant tumors were the other indications.