Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42469526›Full record

SynthesisNeurosurgical review2026

Stereotactic radiosurgery for treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder: a systematic review of targets, targeting methods, lesion geometry, and clinical outcomes.

Jheremy S Reyes, Alexandros Bouras, Serah Choi, L Dade Lunsford, Constantinos G Hadjipanayis, Ajay Niranjan

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Neurosurgical review, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Jheremy S ReyesCenter for Image-Guided Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Alexandros BourasCenter for Image-Guided Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Serah ChoiDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
L Dade LunsfordCenter for Image-Guided Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Constantinos G HadjipanayisCenter for Image-Guided Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Ajay NiranjanCenter for Image-Guided Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. niraax@upmc.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundStereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a noninvasive option for carefully selected patients with treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but the literature is heterogeneous in targets, targeting methods, lesion geometry, and outcomes.

methodsPRISMA-guided systematic review of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Full-text human studies of radiosurgical capsulotomy for treatment-refractory OCD were included. Narrative synthesis was performed across technical and clinical domains. When ≥3 comparable studies reported the same endpoint, exploratory random-effects single-arm meta-analyses were performed.

resultsTwenty-one OCD-specific studies were included (1999-2024). The anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC), particularly the ventral ALIC, was the dominant target. Technique and dose reporting varied across cohorts, with commonly reported maximum doses spanning approximately 120-180 Gy, often using 4-mm collimation and single- or double-shot paradigms. Earlier reports primarily used anatomical MRI/coordinate-based targeting, whereas newer studies increasingly incorporated lesion mapping, tractography, and network-based analyses. Eleven cohorts were eligible for quantitative pooling. The pooled clinical response rate was 57.1% (95% CI, 49.1%-64.9%; I²=21.7%), and pooled remission was 36.8% (95% CI, 26.9%-47.9%; I²=0%). Severe delayed radiation-related injury was uncommon but present (6.4%, 95% CI, 3.1%-12.8%; I²=0%). Mechanistic studies suggested that lesion topography and pathway engagement may be more important than lesion size alone.

conclusionsSRS is a meaningful option for treatment-refractory OCD. The ventral ALIC remains the principal target, but outcomes likely depend on precise target identification and lesion placement. Standardized reporting and prospective evaluation of pathway-informed targeting are needed.

Indexed as

Obsessive-Compulsive DisorderRadiosurgeryHumansInternal CapsuleTreatment OutcomeAnterior limb of the internal capsuleGamma Knife RadiosurgeryObsessive-compulsive disorderStereotactic radiosurgeryTractography

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.