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American Radiosurgery
How stereotactic radiosurgery treats the brain without a cut, what it can and cannot do, and what the day in the frame is actually like.
Gamma Knife radiosurgery, from the first scan to the years of follow-up.

About American Radiosurgery

I am Ruth Alderman, and American Radiosurgery started as a notebook I kept while a small acoustic neuroma of mine was treated with Gamma Knife.

A benign tumour on the balance nerve is not an emergency, so I had time to read. What I found was a gap. Hospital pages described a painless, non-invasive procedure and left it there. Patient forums swung between relief and horror. Between the two, almost nothing explained what actually happens: why the treatment is planned by a team rather than a single surgeon, what the frame on your head feels like, why the tumour is still there on the scan afterwards, and how many months pass before anyone can say it worked.

So I wrote it down as I went, then had the medicine checked by people who treat these conditions for a living. This site is the result: plain, specific, and honest about what radiosurgery can and cannot do.

What this site covers

I write about stereotactic radiosurgery across the conditions it is used for, in plain language and from real experience:

I do not diagnose, recommend particular centres or clinicians, or handle emergencies, and nothing here replaces the team looking at your own scans.

How we keep it accurate

I am a patient, not a doctor. Every article is checked by a consultant neurosurgeon, Mr Edward Halloran, before it is published. The lived experience is mine; the clinical facts are signed off by someone who plans these treatments. We cite authoritative sources such as the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, NICE, Cancer Research UK, and peer-reviewed neurosurgery journals, and show the publication, last-updated, and review dates on every article. See our Editorial Policy for how that works.

Get in touch

I would genuinely like to hear from others weighing up or recovering from radiosurgery. You can reach me through the Contact page. Please also read our Medical Disclaimer: this site is for general education and support, not medical advice.