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This
is a non-invasive method for management of brain tumors, both
benign and malignant, as well as certain functional disorders
such as Trigeminal Neuralgia. |
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The
procedure involves the delivery of a single, high dose of
radiation to a small and critically located intra-cranial
volume through the intact skull.
The extreme precision of Leksell Gamma Knife
makes it possible to administer a high radiation dose to the
abnormal area of the brain, minimizing the risk of damaging
healthy tissue.
This is an outpatient procedure which does not require anesthesia
or a surgical procedure. It allows the patient to go home
on the same day. It is safe and it can be used more than once.
Patients can usually return to their normal routine within
the day of the procedure. Over 95% of patients are treated
on an ambulatory basis. In addition to the other benefits
of this non-invasive procedure, use of the Gamma Knife may
be more cost-effective than conventional surgery. Also, much
of the disability and convalescence associated with conventional
surgery is avoided
The Gamma Knife treatment team includes a
neurosurgeon, radiation oncologist, physicist, neuroradiologist,
skilled nurses, and occasionally anesthesiologist. The radiation
is given to a target previously defined by neuroimaging techniques
accurate to a fraction of a millimeter (about the thickness
of a sheet of paper). Referred to as "surgery without
a scalpel, the Gamma Knife procedure does not require an incision
or opening the skull.
Leksell Gamma Knife has been successfully
used worldwide for treatment of vascular malformations, benign
tumors, metastases and other malignant tumors for over 45
years.
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It
can be used to successfully treat primary and metastatic
malignant brain tumors and other common benign lesions
of the brain, including intracranial arteriovenous malformations,
acoustic neurinomas, meningiomas, glomus tumors, pituitary
adenomas, craniopharyngiomas and others. It can be safely
used in patients previously treated with conventional
irradiation. Gamma Knife is also used successfully in
the management of trigeminal neuralgia. |
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It
is estimated that more than 200,000 new cases of brain
metastases occur in the United States each year. Lung
cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in the United
States, is responsible for almost half of all cases
of brain metastases. Symptomatic brain metastases develop
in about 30% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer
(NSCLC) and if left untreated will lead to the patient’s
death in one month.
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery alone is an excellent modality
of treatment for selected patients with single or multiple
brain metastases from lung and breast cancer and from
other various primary sites. This procedure achieves
high rates of local control as shown in multiple studies
using single fractionation on an outpatient basis. |
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Brain
metastases before and after treatment |
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