Gamma Knife neurosurgery for brain conditions

The Gamma Knife radiosurgery system is a non-invasive method of treating brain conditions.

As explained in articles on Total Health, Gamma Knife technology is able to target tumours in a very accurate way and deliver radiation with great precision, making it possible to give a therapeutic radiation dose, lethal to the tumour, with little risk to the surrounding normal tissues.

Standard radiotherapy for malignant tumours is given in small doses over a number of weeks. This is primarily because it cannot be delivered accurately enough to concentrate the radiation on the tumour being treated without significant dosage reaching the surrounding tissues. It is then necessary for these normal tissues to be given time to recover. 

Gamma Knife treatment on the other hand, is normally given on a same day, outpatient basis without the need for general anaesthetic and most patients are able to return to work rapidly afterwards. It is suitable for tumours in the brain but can also treat areas in the head and neck below the skull base. It can also be used to treat trigeminal neuralgia and vascular malformations in the brain. One of the many benefits of Gamma Knife is that it enables neurosurgeons to treat many brain tumours that would otherwise be inaccessible for treatment.