Patients may be eligible for Gamma Knife Radiosurgery even if they have previously had open brain surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or in the case of AVM, embolization procedure. Results have proven to be superior or comparable to conventional neurosurgery, depending on the specific condition treated. Consequently, the risk of surgical complication is greatly reduced. Patients are routinely administered a mild sedative, eliminating the side effects of general anesthesia. On the day of the treatment, the Gamma Knife patient will have a lightweight frame attached to the head.
Local anesthesia is used before the frame is secured in place.
The frame is used in conjunction with an imaging procedure to accurately locate the diseased area. With the frame in place, the patient has either an MRI or CT imaging study or, in the case of arteriovenous malformations, angiography, in order to precisely locate the diseased area to be treated. Data from the imaging study is transferred to the Gamma Knife computer system. While the patient rests, the Gamma Knife Center team uses advanced software to determine the treatment plan. This takes one or two hours to complete depending on the complexity and location of the disease.