Gamma Knife Explained

When everything is set, the patient is sent inside the Gamma Knife and shields are opened, which lets the radiation pass through the helmet into the brain.

Bloodless Brain Surgery
The Gamma Knife is singularly dedicated to the treatment of patients with brain disorders. It is actually not a knife at all, but a medical instrument that emits 201 finely focused beams of gamma radiation. These beams simultaneously intersect at the precise location of the brain disorder and treat it with minimal effect on surrounding normal tissue and without the usual risks of surgery or an incision.

Gamma Knife surgery maximizes patient comfort and can be used to treat lesions that before were either inaccessible or were treated unsuccessfully by conventional surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.

Safe and Effective
Gamma Knife surgery is unique because no surgical incision is performed to "expose" the lesion. Consequently, the risk of surgical complication is greatly reduced. Patients routinely receive only a mild sedative, thus eliminating the side effects and dangers of general anesthesia.

The success rate of the Gamma Knife is unprecedented. More than 150,000 patients have had Gamma Knife surgery with no mortality and minimal morbidity reported. Backed by two decades of pre-clinical research, no other neurosurgical tool has met with such impressive results. Clinical applications continue to grow, and its many benefits as a minimally invasive procedure continue to make it the treatment of choice.

Treatment Protocol
A patient accepted for treatment generally arrives at the Gamma Knife Center and is admitted the morning of the procedure. A stereotactic head frame is applied and an MRI or CT scanning procedure is performed to locate the lesion. The patient then rests while the treatment plan is developed using an advanced dose-planning program. Next the patient is placed on a special couch that moves the head into proper position inside the Gamma Knife hemisphere for the procedure.

Since the Gamma Knife is minimally invasive, patients experience virtually no discomfort during the treatments. Most patients are treated on an outpatient basis. They are observed for an appropriate time, and then may go home. The results of Gamma Knife radiosurgery appear over days, weeks or months, depending on the type of lesion being treated. Most lesions dissolve or sclerose gradually, eventually disappearing. Others simply exhibit no further growth.

Patient Referrals
The referring physician is an active partner in the treatment process. All follow-up studies, treatment studies and progress outcomes are done in conjunction with the patient's physician. This is especially important since the effects of Gamma Knife surgery occur over a period of time that can range from days to several years, depending on the type of lesion.

Patient Selection
Selection of patients for Gamma Knife surgery involves a multidisciplinary team of neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists and other specialists. Selection is made on the basis of a diagnostic examination, imaging studies, tissue diagnosis and the patient's general health and age. Patients may be eligible for Gamma Knife treatment even if they previously had open brain surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or in the case of AVMs, embolization procedures. In general, tumors and arteriovenous malformations should be less than 4 cm. in diameter.

Cost Effective
Conventional neurosurgery means a lengthy post surgical hospital stay, expensive medication and sometimes months of rehabilitation. The Gamma Knife greatly reduces these costs. Patients are usually able to leave the treatment center within a day and resume their normal activities immediately.

With Gamma Knife there is usually no post procedure disability time as with open brain surgery, and convalescent costs in the hospital are usually nonexistent.