Radiosurgery

What is Gamma Knife radiosurgery?

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• published: 01 Sep 2010
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An updated version of this video is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdvoqe79n94 Gamma Knife radiosurgery at Penn Medicine is one of the most precise, powerful, and proven treatments for brain disorders. It's a preferred treatment for benign or malignant brain tumors, blood vessel malformations, skull base tumors, and dysfunctions such as trigeminal neuralgia -- a painful condition of the facial nerves. The Gamma Knife at Penn Medicine is a highly advanced machine that delivers a powerful dose of radiation to a precise target in the brain. Patients experience little or no discomfort during the procedure, usually go home the same day, and are generally able to resume normal activities almost immediately. Gamma Knife radiosurgery offers many other advantages over traditional brain surgery. To learn more about the Penn Gamma Knife Center, visit http://www.pennmedicine.org/neuro/gammaknife/ HOW DOES IT WORK? The Gamma Knife at Penn Medicine delivers 201 beams of extremely focused radiation to a precise target in the brain. Individually, the beams are too weak to damage healthy tissue. Together, they converge to deliver powerful treatment to a single point. To establish the target for the radiation, a team of physicians creates detailed maps of the brain using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), or angiography imaging. They then determine the precise amount of radiation needed to treat the disease. The radiation doesn't remove the diseased tissue; rather, it damages the individual abnormal cells. Brain tumor cells lose their ability to multiply and blood vessel malformations close off, and they eventually stop growing and start to shrink. To learn more about the Penn Gamma Knife Center, visit http://www.pennmedicine.org/neuro/gammaknife/