Stereotactic Radiosurgery Side Effects and Warnings

Possible Complications

If you are planning to have SRS, your doctor will review a list of possible complications, which may include:

• Headache
• Temporary swelling at the treatment site (may be associated with worsening of symptoms)
• Swelling, numbness, bleeding, or tingling around the sites where the head frame rests on the head
• Skin irritation
• Nausea
• Seizures
• Patchy hair loss from the radiation
• Permanent injury to the location in the brain being treated

Rare complications may include:

• Vision loss
• Deafness
• Bleeding
• Nerve problems

Although the risk for complications is low, advanced age, chronic medical conditions, previous surgeries, or previous radiation at or near the target site may increase the risk for complications.

Call Your Doctor

After arriving home, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:

• Signs of infection, including fever and chills
• Redness, swelling, increasing pain, excessive bleeding, or any discharge from the pin sites
• Nausea and/or vomiting that you cannot control with the medicines you were given after surgery, or which persist for more than two days after discharge from the hospital
• Pain that you cannot control with the medicines you have been given
• Cough, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, or chest pain
• You have a severe headache
• Weakness, loss of balance
• Vision problems
• Seizures
• Any new symptoms, including new onset of numbness

In case of an emergency, CALL 911.