About Gamma Knife
As a non-invasive treatment for individuals with well-defined patient profiles, including those who have benign and malignant brain tumors, vascular abnormalities and Trigeminal Neuralgia, Gamma Knife surgery offers a low-risk, safe and cost-effective alternative.
The Gamma Knife is a stereotactic radiosurgical instrument that delivers a single high dose of precisely focused radiation, through the intact skull, to a small and critically located intracranial volume. With pinpoint accuracy, 192 beams of cobalt-60 radiation arrest or reduce tissue growth by distorting the DNA mapping of the cells. Due to the pinpoint precision, healthy tissue is spared.
Combined with an advanced MRI scanner capable of detecting the subtlest of abnormalities, tumor treatments can be mapped and performed with amazing accuracy on even the smallest tumors, noninvasively and with minimal effect to surrounding tissue. Patients return home the same day and resume pre-surgical activities within days.
History of the Gamma Knife
The Gamma Knife was developed in Sweden in 1968 exclusively for the treatment of brain disorders. Thousands of people worldwide have been safely and effectively treated with the Gamma Knife for benign and malignant brain tumors, vascular abnormalities and functional disorders. The Gamma Knife represents one of the most technologically advanced surgical instruments in use today.
Gamma Knife Development
Swedish neurosurgeon Dr. Lars Leksell and a colleague developed the Gamma Knife in their search for a non-invasive modality to treat functional disorders. Later, it was proven beneficial in treating brain tumors and arteriovenous abnormalities.
Their first model was developed in 1968 with continuing refinement through 1975 that resulted in the forerunner of today's Gamma Knife. In 1987 The Gamma Knife was introduced to the United States. The Gamma Knife Center at Methodist Hospital has the newest model, the Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™.