Dr. Gross performs Gamma Knife surgery at Hoag/UCI Gamma Knife Center, one of only 30 Gamma Knife centers in the United States and 80 worldwide.

DESCRIPTION

Gamma Knife is precision focused radiation for the treatment of intracranial lesions such as benign or malignant tumors. It can also be applied to other neurological disease such as trigeminal neuralgia. The 201 separate beams of radiation are so highly focused, that only the set target receives a meaningful dose of radiation, unlike conventional beam radiation.

Gamma Knife is therefore often referred to as "radiosurgery" because of its precision. The rest of the brain does not receive a significant radiation dose during treatment since there are 201 separate Cobalt radiation sources, each one of which delivers a small dose. The sum of these sources at the treatment target receives a high dose. The target is set using 3-D computer software, based on an MRI (magnetic resonance image).

USES

Image © Copyright 2002 Elekta AB (publ). All rights reserved.

Gamma Knife treatments are useful for the primary or adjunctive (in addition to) treatment of benign and malignant brain tumors. Gamma Knife is especially useful for the treatment of deep and surgically hard to reach tumors. Additionally, Gamma Knife is great tool for the treatment of multiple metastatic tumors (from another site in the body). Vascular lesions such as AVM (arteriovenous malformations) may also be treated this way. Functional disorders such as tremor, Parkinson's disease, trigeminal neuralgia, and chronic pain may also be treatable with Gamma Knife radiosurgery

Image © Copyright 2002 Elekta AB (publ). All rights reserved.

Gamma Knife is essentially non-invasive. No real surgery is required. The procedure involves placement of a temporary reference frame on the head, followed by a new MRI scan with this frame on. The computer software is used to do the targeting, and the patient is placed with the frame on into the Gamma Knife helmet. The treatment is delivered over a few minutes to a few hours on one occasion. The frame is removed. There is typically no need to stay in the hospital. Immediate side effects are not expected.

There are many Gamma Knife centers in the World, and particularly in the United States. Thousands of patients have been safely and effectively treated.

The advantages of Gamma Knife radiosurgery over conventional open surgery include the reduced risks from avoiding surgery, such as bleeding, infection, etc. Gamma Knife may therefore be especially appropriate for patients wishing to avoid surgery, or who are poor surgical candidates (e.g. elder patients, patients who have had previous surgery and scar tissue, patients with healing or other health problems, patients who would benefit from not having to take the time to recover from surgery, or patients with multiple tumors or lesions, which would require multiple surgeries).

Gamma Knife radiosurgery is typically covered by most insurance plans.