Precision Accuracy With Gamma Knife

Precision Accuracy With Gamma Knife

May 16, 2022

Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a very well-established way to treat certain brain tumours or lesions in the brain – but it’s not a knife in the strictest sense, since no incisions at all are made in the head.

Instead, the simple and painless procedure involves directing incredibly precise and focused beams of radiation to the specified treatment area, which means that only the target is hit and none of the surrounding healthy tissue is damaged.

It is a safe and effective way to treat brain tumours and lesions, helping over 80,000 patients around the world each year.

The radiation source used for Gamma Knife is cobalt-60 and 192 physical pieces of this are loaded into the unit. This means that the radiation beams generated are delivered incredibly accurately and, when they intersect at the desired target point, the combined radiation is strong enough to deliver treatment.

Over the years, the treatment has been successful in shrinking tumours in the brain, effective at treating acoustic neuroma, meningioma, and pituitary adenoma, as well as other non-cancerous conditions and trigeminal neuralgia (sudden and severe facial pain).

There are a range of benefits associated with Gamma Knife treatment, not least the fact that no surgical incisions are necessary in order to access the right part of the brain. The accuracy of the treatment is one of its biggest unique selling points and it also means that there’s less downtime, with a full dose of treatment typically delivered in just one session.

There’s also no need for the head to be shaved because no incision is required, and the risk of associated complications is low. Patients should be able to go home the same day and start following their typical daily routine in just a couple of days’ time.

For more information relating to Gamma Knife surgery in the UK, get in touch with us today.

Centres of Excellence for Stereotactic Radiosurgery treatment of complex Brain Tumours