Adaptations in Radiosurgery Practice during COVID Crisis.

Tripathi, Manjul; Deora, Harsh; Sadashiva, Nishanth; Batish, Aman; Mohindra, Sandeep; Gupta, Sunil K

Background The world is in the midst of the COVID crisis, which has forced the neurosurgical community to change its practices. Objective To advocate the necessary adaptations in radio surgical practices to effectively manage the radio surgical patients, resource utilization, and protecting the healthcare provider during the COVID pandemic. Material and Methods In addition to the literature review, pertinent recommendations are made in respect to the gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS). Results Every patient presenting to GKRS treatment should be considered as a potential asymptomatic COVID carrier. Patients should be categorized based on the priority (urgent, semi-urgent, or elective) on the basis of pathological and clinical status. The only urgent indication is a non-responding or enlarging cerebral metastasis. There is a high risk of aerosol dispersion during gamma radiation delivery in the gamma gantry. Conclusion These recommendations should be used to minimize the chances of pathogenic exposure to the patient and caregivers both.