Honest answers to the questions patients actually ask.

Is radiosurgery actually surgery?

No. Despite the name, there are no incisions, no anesthesia, and no hospital stay. "Radiosurgery" means radiation delivered with surgical precision — beams converge on the target from many angles, and only the target receives an ablative dose.

Does treatment hurt? Will I feel anything?

Treatment is painless — most patients compare it to having a CT scan. You lie on the table, the machine moves around you, and most sessions finish in under 5 minutes — functional radiosurgery cases take up to about 25. No head shaving, no invasive frame, and most patients leave with no restrictions.

How many visits will I need?

Most radiosurgery treatments are a single session. Prostate and breast SBRT take five sessions over one to two weeks. LDRT for arthritis is typically a short series of 10–15 minute visits. Compare that with the 3–6 weeks of daily treatment conventional radiation often requires.

Is the radiation dangerous to the rest of my body?

The entire discipline exists to answer this concern. Sub-millimeter targeting on the Varian Edge®, verified by HyperSight™ imaging at every session, means dose falls off extremely steeply outside the target. For LDRT, doses are a small fraction of what's used in cancer care, with no significant side effects observed.

I was told I have too many brain metastases for radiosurgery. Is that true?

Often not. With single-isocenter, multi-target techniques — an approach our medical director helped validate against Gamma Knife — we routinely treat patients with ten, twenty, or even fifty metastases in a single session. Whether it's right for you depends on your imaging, not on an arbitrary lesion count. Send us the scan; we'll give you a real answer.

How is radiosurgery different from whole-brain radiation?

Whole-brain radiation treats everything — tumor and healthy brain alike — and carries meaningful cognitive side effects. Radiosurgery treats each lesion individually with millimeter margins, sparing the rest of the brain. When whole-brain treatment genuinely is needed, memory-avoidance techniques can protect the structures responsible for cognition.

Can benign tumors like acoustic neuromas and meningiomas be treated?

Yes — radiosurgery is a standard, well-established alternative to open resection for acoustic neuromas (vestibular schwannomas), meningiomas, and similar benign tumors, with excellent long-term control rates and hearing-preservation strategies built into the planning.

How does SRS thalamotomy compare to deep brain stimulation or focused ultrasound?

DBS requires implanted hardware and ongoing programming; focused ultrasound requires a full head shave and can be limited by skull anatomy. SRS thalamotomy requires none of that — no incision, no implant, no shaving — and the treatment itself takes under 25 minutes. Our approach uses patient-specific connectomic targeting and was validated in a prospective phase I/II trial led by our medical director.

When will my tremor improve?

Unlike DBS, the effect isn't instant: improvement typically emerges gradually over weeks to a few months as the target quiets, and it is durable. Most patients notice meaningful change within the first three months.

Why five treatments when other centers prescribe eight or nine weeks?

SBRT delivers a higher, ablative dose per session with far tighter targeting, so five sessions accomplish what conventional fractionation spreads over weeks — with published outcomes that are equivalent or better for appropriately selected patients. It's not a shortcut; it's a different, more precise technique.

What about urinary and sexual side effects after prostate treatment?

Protecting function is engineered into the plan: the neurovascular bundles are contoured and spared, SpaceOAR® hydrogel moves the rectum out of the high-dose region, and a dedicated medication protocol manages both acute and late effects. Many patients report urinary and sexual function as good as — or better than — before treatment.

Will breast SBRT change how my breast looks?

The point of partial-breast SBRT is the opposite: by treating only the tumor bed instead of the whole breast, it preserves appearance and reduces skin change, fibrosis, and fatigue compared with conventional whole-breast radiation — in five visits instead of fifteen to thirty.

Radiation for arthritis — is that established medicine?

Yes. Low-dose radiotherapy for inflammatory joint disease has decades of use and published evidence, particularly in Europe, where it is routine. The US has been slower to adopt it — our medical director is among the physicians leading that change, and we track every patient's outcome in a prospective registry.

How quickly does LDRT relieve pain, and how long does it last?

Over 80% of patients experience significant or complete relief within 1–2 weeks of completing treatment, with effects that often last months to years. A course can be repeated if pain returns.

Can LDRT help my low back or neck pain?

If your pain is driven by spine arthropathy — arthritic, inflamed facet joints — LDRT targets that inflammation directly. It's a noninvasive option when injections have stopped working and you'd rather not consider surgery. A consultation with imaging review will tell us whether you're a candidate.

Do I need a referral?

No — patients can contact us directly, and we'll coordinate with your existing physicians. If you have a referring provider, we make co-management easy. Details for referring providers →

Is treatment covered by insurance?

Radiosurgery and SBRT for established indications are widely covered, including by Medicare. Coverage for newer applications varies; our team verifies your benefits and gives you a clear picture before any treatment begins.

I'm traveling from out of state. How does that work?

Many of our patients do. Because most courses are 1–5 sessions, treatment often fits within a single short stay. We can review your records and imaging before you travel so the visit is treatment, not exploration.

What should I bring to my consultation?

Recent imaging (discs or access to the portal it lives in), your medication list, and relevant records. Patient forms are available through Privia and can be completed before you arrive.

The Renaissance Institute is a proud member of Privia Medical Group. The best doctors in our community have joined together to form Privia Medical Group (PMG), a multi-specialty, high-performance medical group that puts patients first. Our physicians are united by the mission of providing better, more coordinated care for their patients.

To learn more about Privia Medical Group and find other Privia doctors, please visit our website.