Gamma Knife

There was a time when brain surgery was performed without anesthesia. 11 a.m. yesterday.

The Gamma Knife can be used to treat adults and children with small to medium brain tumors, abnormal blood vessel formations, epilepsy, trigeminal neuralgia and other neurological conditions.

With Gamma Knife radiosurgery, no anesthesia is necessary because no incision is made. Instead, narrow beams of radiation are directed precisely on the cancerous tumor or other abnormal area of the brain, inner ear or head. The treatment is painless. And patients generally return to normal activities the next day. Now that's progress.

Bryan Radiology provides Gamma Knife treatment at Bryan West Campus. The team includes registered nurses, neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists and physicists. The procedure begins with a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and/or Computed Tomography (CT) scan used for guidance prior to the procedure. With this information, the team can form a treatment plan and define the target in the patient's head. During the treatment, the patient will feel and hear nothing and after they are done, the patient returns home.

Benefits of Gamma Knife Treatment

• Minimally invasive outpatient procedure
• Treatment can be done in as little as 20 minutes
• Performed with local anesthetic
• Quick recovery time

Hear from Glen, a patient with severe facial pain due to a benign tumor, and how the Gamma Knife relieved his pain in just 32 minutes.

Talk to your doctor to see if Gamma Knife radiosurgery is an option for you.