Learn about how Gamma Knife Surgery has revolutionised brain tumour care, providing a non-invasive, highly targeted, effective and low-risk treatment option.
If you are unfamiliar with Gamma Knife surgery, you might assume that it’s a procedure involving scalpels, a high level of risk and long recovery times. However, despite the name, it does not involve any incisions with a knife. Here’s a look at exactly what Gamma Knife is, how it works and what conditions it treats.
Gamma Knife is a form of stereotactic radiosurgery that uses focused beams of gamma radiation to target abnormal tissue with pinpoint accuracy. Compared to open brain surgery, it’s a non-invasive treatment, and in most cases no general anaesthetic is required. Recovery time is minimal, and most patients can go home the same day.
The name ‘Gamma Knife’ refers to the precision of the procedure, rather than a literal surgical knife.
The Gamma Knife machine delivers up to 192 tiny beams of gamma radiation from different angles that intersect at a single target inside the brain. Individually, each beam is too weak to harm healthy brain tissue, but at the intersection point, the combined radiation is powerful enough to damage or destroy abnormal cells.
Gamma Knife surgery is often used to treat brain tumours or lesions that are in a hard-to-reach position, or if the patient is unable to undergo regular neurosurgery. It can also be used to treat any parts of a tumour that couldn’t be removed by open surgery.
Gamma Knife can treat both benign and malignant brain tumours, and other small nerve and blood vessel abnormalities.
The most common types of brain tumour treated with Gamma Knife surgery are meningiomas, acoustic neuromas (vestibular schwannomas), pituitary adenomas and metastatic brain tumours (that have spread from a primary cancer elsewhere in the body, most often from the breast, lung or melanoma).
Arteriovenous malformations, which are tangled blood vessels in the brain that pose a risk of bleeding, can sometimes be treated with Gamma Knife.
Gamma Knife can also treat rare neurological disorders such as trigeminal neuralgia, trigeminal autonomic cephalgias, and chronic cluster headache. It’s also an emerging treatment for essential tremor and some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
For many patients, Gamma Knife is a safer and more effective alternative to open surgery. It is a non-invasive procedure without the high surgical risks of infection, bleeding, or cerebrospinal fluid leaks. It is usually performed as a day procedure, and most patients are able to resume their usual activities within a day or two.
Advanced MRI contour profiling techniques are used to create an extremely accurate 3D image of the tumour or lesion, allowing for highly precise delivery of the radiation dose. This minimises the risk of damage to the surrounding tissues that could result in issues such as facial nerve injury.
Gamma Knife treatment typically involves the following steps:
You’ll have an MRI or CT scan to precisely locate the area to be treated. This information is used to develop a highly detailed 3D treatment plan.
In some cases, a lightweight head frame is used to keep your head perfectly still. In others, a custom-fitted mask is sufficient, depending on the machine and condition being treated.
You’ll lie on a comfortable table while the machine delivers the radiation. It’s completely painless, although you might hear some mechanical noises. The entire session may last from 30 minutes to a few hours.
Once finished, you’re typically observed for a short time and can go home the same day. There may be mild fatigue or headache afterward, but most patients recover quickly.
Since the technique was pioneered in the late 1960s, Gamma Knife has stood out as one of the safest and most advanced ways for treating certain types of brain tumour and vascular malformations. The technology continues to evolve, with advances such as AI-driven auto-contouring for even greater precision.
This reduces the incidences of human error and lowers the risk of inaccuracies. It also speeds up the treatment timeline, helping patients to access potentially life-saving treatment sooner, and minimising the stress and uncertainty of living with a brain tumour.
If you would like to find out more about Gamma Knife surgery at our sites at Queen Square in London or Thornbury in Sheffield, please contact our team today.
Centres of Excellence for Stereotactic Radiosurgery treatment of complex Brain Tumours
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