Traditional stereotactic radiosurgery therapies rely on a rigid metal frame fixed to a patient's skull for head immobilization and target localization. These frame-based systems have numerous limitations, including:
- Restricting treatment to the brain
- Limiting the possible angles which radiation could be delivered
- Causing considerable discomfort to the patient
- Requiring inpatient hospitalization
In contrast to the traditional frame-based radiosurgical treatments, CyberKnife® uses noninvasive image-guided localization and a robotic delivery system. This combination of technologies enables CyberKnife® to overcome the limitations of older frame-based radiosurgery.