[Current experience of stereotaxic irradiations in the treatment of hemispheric gliomas (author's transl)].

Authors present a short review of the techniques and results of the stereotactic focal irradiations (S.I.) used at present in France for the treatment of small "active" gliomas localized in high risk areas (functional and vital) of the brain. These techniques include the temporary interstitial implantation of 192Ir wires, possibly associated with external irradiation and the treatment of active glioma cysts by intracystic injection of colloidal beta emitters such as 90Y and 186Re. The risk of immediate (surgical) and late (radiation) functional loss is low and the overall results at 3 years are satisfactory in particular with small well delimited astrocytomas. Such treatments can be associated to surgical reduction of the tumor volume or to other forms of irradiation according to the data of stereotactic localization studies including biopsy.