About the Gamma Knife

Gamma Knife radiosurgery, using the Leksell Perfexion model, offers the world's most accurate and precise non-invasive treatment for tumors and vascular malformations of the brain and surrounding tissues, as well as certain functional disorders. Unlike conventional surgery, treatment with the Gamma Knife requires no surgical incision and causes minimal patient discomfort. Prolonged hospital stays for recovery from radiosurgery are not required.

The Gamma Knife is a sophisticated device which uses radiation beams rather than traditional neurosurgical instruments to treat a variety of neurological conditions. There is extensive worldwide experience with Gamma Knife radiosurgery; more than 400,000 patients have been treated with the Gamma Knife over the last 35 years.

The concept of radiosurgery was first developed in the early 1950s by Swedish neurosurgeon Lars Leksell working at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. His idea was to utilize radiation beams directed into the brain to achieve results equivalent with conventional neurosurgery, without using a surgical incision. Leksell researched a variety of methods to produce different types of radiation beams, ultimately leading to the design and construction of the first Gamma Knife in the late 1960s.

Although initially envisioned as a method to address functional disorders such as intractable pain, the range of neurological problems treatable with the Gamma Knife was ultimately expanded to include tumors and vascular malformations. Over the ensuing decades the field of radiosurgery has expanded enormously, with more than 100 Gamma Knife centers currently operating worldwide and more than 20,000 patients per year receiving Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

A key feature of the Gamma Knife is its extraordinary precision. The accuracy of the Gamma Knife system at the focal point of irradiation is 0.3 mm (plus or minus three tenths of one millimeter), the most precise radiosurgical system in existence. This extreme precision makes functional radiosurgery for intractable pain and other neurological problems feasible (other less-precise radiosurgical systems lack the capability to treat these conditions).

The Gamma Knife offers an attractive option for many patients due to its extraordinary precision, effectiveness and safety. Many patients have tumors or vascular malformations which are inoperable due to their location in critical areas of the brain; in many cases these patients can be successfully treated with radiosurgery. The Gamma Knife also offers an alternative to more invasive treatments for many patients with difficult brain lesions or coexisting medical conditions. Additionally, the Gamma Knife is a cost-effective method of treatment when compared with conventional surgical approaches for a variety of neurological problems.