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Radiosurgery

High-precision treatments for tumours and certain brain disorders without the need for conventional surgery.

With advanced ZAP-X® technology designed specifically for high-precision brain radiosurgery.

Radiosurgery

What is Radiosurgery?

Radiosurgery is a form of radiation therapy. It has the particularity of being extremely precise. Its goal is to treat brain tumors and functional abnormalities of the brain that cannot be treated with conventional surgery.

Pathologies

What pathologies do we treat with radiosurgery?

The main indications for radiosurgery, grouped by clinical area. If yours doesn’t show up, your case may still be a candidate — we evaluate each indication individually.

Benign brain tumors

Slow-growing lesions, without dissemination. Radiosurgery as an alternative to surgery.

  • Meningiomas
  • Vestibular Schwannomas
  • Pituitary adenomas
  • Jugular glomus tumors

Malignant brain tumors

Primary or metastatic lesions — high-precision focal treatment.

  • Brain Metastases
  • Gliomas
  • Chordomas
  • Chondrosarcomas

Neuropsychiatric and movement pathologies

Movement and neuropsychiatric disorders refractory to medical treatment.

  • Essential tremor
  • Parkinson’s disease (refractory tremor)
  • Refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
  • Refractory focal epilepsy

Functional and chronic pain

Functional pathology and pain refractory to conventional medical treatment.

  • Trigeminal Neuralgia
  • Refractory cancer pain

Cerebral vascular pathology

Inoperable or residual cerebral vascular anomalies after embolization.

  • Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs)
  • Cavernomas

Can’t find your pathology?

Each case is unique — our medical committee evaluates the clinical indication individually.

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Treatment

Types of Treatment Available

Each treatment is planned individually. Our team selects the most appropriate technique according to the type of tumour, its location and its general health.

What is it?

Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) is an advanced high-precision radiotherapy technique used to treat benign and malignant cereal tumors, as well as certain intracranial alterations, without the need for conventional surgery. It allows high doses of radiation to be administered very precisely to perfectly localized lesions, minimizing exposure and damage to surrounding healthy tissues. Treatment can be performed in a single session (radiosurgery) or in several fractions, using fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy. SRS is especially indicated for small and well-defined radiological lesions, and can be used as an alternative or complement to surgery, especially in patients with a higher surgical risk. To ensure maximum precision during the procedure, a custom immobilization system is used that keeps the head completely stable during treatment.

Technology

Technology used

We have the most advanced equipment to make sure that each session is as precise and safe as possible and adapted to each patient. Technology is at the service of your treatment.

ZAP-X

ZAP-X is the most advanced stereotactic brain radiosurgery system today that treats with high precision, non-invasive and very effective, benign and malignant lesions of the brain, head and neck and a wide range of functional neuro-psychic pathology. Unlike other technologies, it is capable of controlling the irradiation dynamics at all times, managing to administer a treatment without damaging the surrounding healthy structures.

How does it work?

What is the process like?

A structured process to minimise time, guarantee safety and ensure well-coordinated care.

Patient Circuit

1

First consultation

The patient will meet with the radiation oncology specialist, who will perform a personalized clinical assessment and review the imaging studies and medical history. During this consultation, the indication for radiosurgery and the most appropriate therapeutic strategy for each case will be determined.

2

Planning and simulation

A planning CT scan is performed and, in certain cases, a complementary MRI to locate the lesion to be treated with maximum precision. A personalized immobilization system is also prepared to ensure the stability of the head during treatment.

3

Design of the therapeutic plan

The multidisciplinary team of radiation oncologists and radiophysicists designs a fully personalised treatment plan, defining the dose, the number of sessions and the best way to protect the surrounding healthy tissues.

4

Treatment

Radiosurgery is an outpatient, non-invasive, and usually painless procedure. The treatment is usually performed in a single session or in a few short sessions, using advanced image verification systems to ensure millimetric accuracy.

5

Follow-up

After finishing treatment, clinical controls and periodic imaging tests are carried out to evaluate the therapeutic response and monitor the patient’s evolution throughout the process.

Healthcare Circuit

1

Referral and initial assessment

Clinical evaluation of the patient, review of imaging tests, and confirmation of the indication for stereotactic radiosurgery.

2

Simulation and location of the lesion

Performing planning CT scans and, when necessary, complementary MRI. Preparation of the customized cranial immobilization system to ensure maximum precision during treatment.

3

Personalized planning

Design of the therapeutic plan by the radiation oncology and radiophysics team, including dosimetric calculation, dose definition and medical validation.

4

Image-guided processing

Treatment administration using high-precision radiosurgery, with advanced image verification and control systems to ensure pinpoint accuracy in each session.

5

Clinical follow-up

Clinical assessment and monitoring of the patient’s evolution after treatment, as well as control of therapeutic response and possible side effects.

6

Medical report and continuity of care

Issuance of clinical report and communication with the referring specialist to ensure coordinated follow-up of the patient.

Comprehensive support throughout the process

In addition to medical treatment, our team is on hand to answer any questions, manage your symptoms and support you every step of the way. Radiosurgery is a journey we take together.

Our differential value

Why Choose Us?

We combine cutting-edge technology with a people-centred care model.

  • Only team in Spain

    IRCA has the only Zap-X in Spain. There are only 10 in the world and 4 of them in Europe.

     

  • Minimally invasive technology

    ZAP-X is painless, does not require anesthesia, and is applied on an outpatient basis. The patient goes home in the day.

  • Innovation and avant-garde

    The Zap-X is a commitment to innovation as it allows us to continue advancing in the world of radiosurgery. IRCA always at the forefront.

  • Comprehensive and quality care for international patients

    We perform personalized medical evaluations for international patients, reviewing their history and clinical reports or conducting a complete study from scratch. Our multidisciplinary team offers specialized diagnoses, therapeutic guidance and medical second opinions with a comprehensive and expert approach.

Where We Are

Alliance Medical Centers with Radisurgery Unit

Institute of Advanced Radiosurgery (IRCA) – Madrid

C/ de la Loma, 1, 28003 Madrid (España)

Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

+34 911 091 946

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Frequently Asked Questions

Radiosurgery is a form of radiation therapy. It is extremely precise. It aims to treat brain tumors and functional abnormalities of the brain that cannot be treated with conventional surgery. It is also known as stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiosurgery.

Although Radiosurgery contains the word surgery within it, it is not a surgical procedure. It is precisely an alternative for patients who cannot undergo surgery due to the location of the lesion.

Both terms are used in the same way, although it is suggested to use only the word stereotactic in Spanish

Radiosurgery requires high-tech equipment, with which radiation is delivered to the damaged area with a minimum margin of error. IRCA currently has the most advanced stereotactic radiosurgery system, ZAP-X technology. Unlike other technologies, ZAP-x technology is able to control the irradiation dynamics at all times. ensuring much more effectively not to damage the healthy structures surrounding the injury.

Intracranial radiosurgery treats a typology of brain or intracranial problems, including:

  • Malignant tumors of the brain, head, and neck
  • Benign lesions of the brain such as pituitary adenomas, neuromas, early-stage meningiomas, and metastases
  • Neuro-psychic pathology such as some types of epilepsy and trigeminal neuralgia

Our treatment for trigeminal pain is a milestone of radiosurgery. A viable and effective option that not only offers a lasting solution to pain, but also avoids the adverse side effects associated with opioid painkillers and other invasive procedures.

First, the site of the lesion must be unequivocally located by determining the exact coordinates of where it is located. To do this, stereotactic imaging tests such as CT (computerized axial tomography) and angiography are performed, complemented by magnetic resonance imaging, to determine exactly the location and size of the lesion to be treated in the brain. One of the great advantages of the ZAPx technology that we have at IRCA, This frame consisted of a ring that is attached to the skull with screws and serves as a reference to concentrate the radiation beams in the place to be treated and stabilize the head. With the technology available at IRCA, it is not necessary to nail any device into the patient’s head. With this we were able to eliminate the unpleasant effects that arose from placing the The traditional stereotactic frame around the head:

  • We don’t leave pinpoint wounds left by nails, so there’s no danger of them becoming infected.
  • Possible pain at the nail insertion points and also those of the pressure that can be exerted by the fixation are avoided.
  • There are no tingling sensations that anesthesia can produce.
  • There are also no other undesirable side effects such as swelling of the eyelids or the entire face as a result of the nails, because at IRCA we do not use this procedure.

The treatment is painless, outpatient and in an open space with windows, which avoids claustrophobic sensations. During the treatment, thin beams of ionizing radiation produced from cobalt are applied from a multitude of inlets. The advantage of the ZAPx technology that we use at IRCA is that it is more advanced than the traditional cobalt pump. or others such as particle accelerators, is that it does not require isolation in the depths of a bunker, does not need anesthesia, is not painful or invasive. And, moreover, in a single session. With all this we manage to humanize the whole process.

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