Gamma Knife
In medicine, the Leksell Gamma Knife (or Gamma Knife) is a neurosurgical device used to treat brain tumors with radiation therapy. The device was invented by Lars Leksell, a Swedish neurosurgeon, in 1967 at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.
The Leksell Gamma Knife device contains 201 cobalt-60 sources of approximately 30 curies (1.1 TBq) each, placed in a circular array in a heavily shielded assembly. The device aims gamma radiation through a target point in the patient's brain. The patient wears a specialized helmet that is surgically fixed to their skull so that the brain tumor remains stationary at target point of the gamma rays. A killing dose of radiation is thereby sent through the tumor in one treatment session, while all surrounding brain tissues receive less than a killing dose.
Efficacy and Risk
Gamma Knife surgery has proved effective for thousands of patients with benign or malignant brain tumors, vascular malformations such as an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), pain or other functional problems. The procedure is less invasive than alternative surgeries such as micro-decompression. For treatment of trigeminal neuralgia the procedure may be used repeatedly on patients.
Ultimately, consideration for Gamma Knife radiosurgery treatment is contingent upon the patient's diagnosis, medical history and the case's overall severity upon consultation. In some instances, neurosurgeons will consider treatment for patients with metastatic disease, the elderly and whose life span will not exceed fifteen years, as well as those with inoperable lesions.
The risks of Gamma Knife radiosurgery treatment include but are not limited to radiation necrosis, secondary malignancy caused by the radiation (ie: formation of new tumor), hemorrhage, infection from the placement of the stereotactic headframe, paralysis and death.
Main Features
Radiosurgery uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors, delivered with surgical precision to avoid damaging healthy brain tissue. The key to the success of Gamma Knife surgery is its ability to accurately focus many beams of high-intensity gamma radiation to converge on one or more tumors. Each individual beam is relatively low energy, so the radiation has virtually no effect on healthy brain tissue.
See also
- Brain Tumor
- External beam radiotherapy
- Minimally invasive procedure
- Neurosurgery
- Radiosurgery
- Radiation therapy
- Robotic surgery
- Stereotactic surgery
- Elekta, Leksell Gamma Knife manufacturer
References
- Sheehan et al. Gamma knife surgery-induced meningioma. Report of two cases and review of the literature. J Neurosurg. 2006 Aug;105(2):325-9.
- Rowe et al. Risk of Malignancy after Gamma Knife Radiosurgery, Neurosurgery. 60(1):60-66, January 2007.
- Sheehan et al. Gamma knife surgery for brain metastases from lung cancer, J Neurosurg, No. 102, Suppl:128-33, 2005
- Mack et al. Quality assurance in stereotactic space. A system for verifying the accuracy of aim in radiosurgery. Medical Physics 29:4. April 2002.
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External links
- Clinical Bibliography - Bibliography of published papers regarding Gamma Knife surgery. Includes downloadable bibliographies for various conditions.
- Elekta's International Patient Site
- Elekta Official Web Site
- International RadioSurgery Association
- Gamma Knife History from the University of Virginia
- Cross-sectional view of Gamma Knife (Model C)
- How Gamma Knife Works (Video)
- Leksell Gamma Knife Society (For clinicians)
- Gamma Knife Surgery at the Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago
- Case Studies
- Living With Brain Mets