The Gamma Knife is an exciting new technology for the treatment of brain tumors and other brain abnormalities. The Gamma Knife delivers precisely aligned beams of gamma radiation to any defined volume of abnormal brain tissue. The Gamma Knife team is responsible for the selection of cases suitable for treatmentwith stereotactic radiosurgery. Patients who are deemed eligible for Gamma Knife surgery are then treated in the new Gamma Knife Suite at NYU MedicalCenter's Tisch Hospital.
Treatment occurs over the course of a single day followed by a brief hospital stay.
Stereotactic radiosurgery is a non-invasive technique utilized in the treatment of brain tumors and arteriovenous malformations, as well as certain functional neurological disorders, that replaces the surgeons scalpel with a single dose of gamma irradiation. The Gamma Knife allows noninvasive cerebral surgery to be performed with extreme precision, sparing tissues adjacent to the target. Based on preoperative radiological examinations, such as CT and MRI scans, and angiography, the Gamma Knife allows extremely accurate irradiation of deep-seated targets within the brain, using several collimated beams of ionizing radiation. During this procedure, the patient wears a helmet with 201 holes, through which 201 beams of radiation, emitted from a Cobalt- 60 source, are directed at a specific target within the brain. The targetted lesion receives a focused dose of radiation while the surrounding brain structures are carefully avoided.