WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (trMDD), stereotactic radiosurgical (SRS) capsulotomy shows promise, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology, held from Sept. 26 to 30 in Boston.
Mohamed Khattab, M.D., from the University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital, and colleagues examined efficacy and safety in a cohort of 20 patients with MDD treated with SRS capsulotomy. After multidisciplinary review, patients with trMDD or intractable obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) with secondary MDD were treated for medical necessity; all patients had failed cognitive behavioral therapy and numerous medical therapies.
Patients were followed for a median of 1,073 days (35 months). The researchers found that only 10 percent of patients endorsed any degree of suicidal ideation (SI) at last follow-up post-SRS capsulotomy, with decreased intensity, while 70 percent endorsed active SI pre-SRS capsulotomy. The mean Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) was 32.4 pre-SRS capsulotomy, with significant improvement to a mean BDI score of 15.9 at time of maximal improvement and 17.7 at last follow-up. Significant improvement was also seen post-SRS capsulotomy in Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale scores among patients with OCD symptoms. The mean Montreal Cognitive Assessment score was 26.3 among all patients, with significant improvement to a score of 28.9 and 28.6 at time of maximal improvement and last follow-up, respectively. No neurological deficits, apathy, or personality changes were seen.
"These results give us a reason to study this approach more rigorously, so we can understand who may benefit and how to deliver it as safely as possible," Khattab said in a statement.
