@lisaj63: There are a lot of good, descriptive posts on this forum regarding gamma knife treatment from people who have had radiation to their tumor through gamma knife rather than a craniotomy. Yes, surgical removal is the first choice when dealing with a meningioma if it is causing symptoms. However, the location of this usually benign tumor or one's age or health status often cancels out the possibility of a brain surgery. I, personally, chose having the meningioma that was 1/16th of an inch from my optic nerve removed rather than have radiation. After consulting with a radiation oncologist I learned that gamma knife and/or cyber knife come with their own set of possible side effects that I didn't want to take the chance of experiencing. And my personal experience with the craniotomy was that it wasn't that bad; it was actually an easier surgery and recovery than my hysterectomy.