Ascension Alexian Brothers Gamma Knife Center

The most significant side effects from gamma radiosurgery is radiation swelling. This can usually be treated either with observation, or with a short-term course of steroids. 

The success rate for Gamma Knife all depends on the type of pathology we are treating. We treat metastatic brain, cancers, medically, intractable, facial pain, benign tumors, and vascular abnormalities. Each of these different pathologies has a different success rate, and a different prognosis. Unfortunately, we cannot generalize with these different pathologies.

Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure. There is no incision involved, but the radiation acts like a knife to treat abnormalities in the brain.

Patients are deemed candidates for gamma radiosurgery based on their symptoms, their neurological examination, the number of lesions, and the size of the lesions we need to treat. Based on the results of their evaluation, they may be a candidate for Gamma Knife or presented with other treatment options.

Most tumors respond to Gamma Knife by stopping their growth. Some expand briefly after Gamma Knife, but then begin to shrink. Others completely disappear. A small number of tumors fail and continue to grow. Those patients are either candidates for further Gamma Knife, or other treatment modalities.

There are very few if any long-term side effects to Gamma Knife. The risk of radiation swelling is usually 6 to 18 months.

The duration of treatment in the Gamma Knife machine varies between a few minutes and up to a few hours, depending on what pathology we are treating. Most patients arrive at the Gamma Knife Center at 5:30 a.m. and are usually home by 10 a.m. to noon.

No. Gamma Knife radiosurgery was invented by a neurosurgeon for noninvasive brain surgery for conditions in the brain and head (skull). The physical design of the unit prevents it from being used to treat other areas of the body.

The gamma ray beams converge to produce a single beam of radiation which targets the tumor or the specific source for a functional or movement disorder in the brain. Gamma Knife radiosurgery has an accuracy of better than 0.5mm and radiation shielding is 100 times better than alternative technologies.

When it is possible to perform Gamma Knife radiosurgery as an alternative to traditional "open skull" neurosurgery, the risks are generally lower, and there is no hospitalization. Gamma Knife radiosurgery is an outpatient nonsurgical procedure. Other types of brain surgery are typically performed by a neurosurgeon as an inpatient surgery with hospital recovery. 

Based on the same condition, costs associated with a single Gamma Knife procedure  are usually considerably less compared to hospital-based neurosurgical “open-skull” treatment. . Recovery after a Gamma Knife procedure is at home, not in the hospital and your return to work and daily activities can typically resume in 2-3 days.

Yes, patients remain conscious throughout the entire procedure and may communicate with the team through a two-way microphone. The  team monitors the patient during treatment by video and sound. Patients can listen to music, and some even fall asleep during treatment.

No, Gamma Knife radiosurgery does not require a patient's head to be shaved. In rare cases the treatment may cause some temporary hair loss.

When the treatment is finished, the head frame will be removed. Sometimes there is a little bleeding from where the pins were attached to the head. In this case, gauze and pressure will be applied to stop the bleeding and keep the area clean. A temporary head dressing is placed to keep the pin sites clean. It is recommended that the patient take it easy over the next 12 to 24 hours. Daily activities can then be resumed within a few days.

Gamma Knife Perfexion radiosurgery may be recommended for patients whose neurological disorders require complex neurosurgical techniques such as open brain surgery. If you are at high risk for surgery due to advanced age, health complications, and problems with general anesthesia, Gamma Knife may be a treatment option.  Gamma Knife Perfexion technology is able to target tumors and functional disorders in the brain. For patients being treated with brain cancer, this type of radiosurgery can be performed in combination with other cancer treatments.

The effectiveness of a Gamma Knife Perfexion radiosurgery procedure is monitored at regular intervals by your team by MRI scans. The radiation alters the DNA of the tumor or brain lesion that was treated and  the cells no longer reproduce. Some abnormalities dissolve gradually, eventually disappearing. Others simply exhibit no further growth. The goal of radiosurgery is tumor control, which is defined as stable tumor size or tumor shrinkage. For vascular malformations, control is generally considered total obliteration.

Treatment with the Gamma Knife Perfexion differs from other forms of radiation therapy.  The Gamma Knife is a form of stereotactic radiosurgery which only directs radiation beams to a targeted area and spares adjacent, normal brain tissue. Other types of radiation therapy do not provide such a precise delivery at as high a dose at Gamma Knife. Other types of radiation therapy often require a series of treatments over a period of time. Gamma Knife treatment can often be repeated if necessary where other forms may not. Gamma Knife treatment also does not typically interrupt or impede ongoing chemotherapy for a primary cancer, and may not require patients to adjust other medications they are taking.