To treat a head or neck condition, some patients are candidates for either traditional open surgery or Gamma Knife surgery. Although both are viable treatment options, a recent study concluded that the cost of Gamma Knife surgery was 40.9 percent to 58.8 percent the cost of traditional open surgery.
Gamma Knife is safer than open craniotomy and more precise than any other radiosurgery device including CyberKnife ®. Gamma Knife Perfexion is offering new hope, less risk and quicker recovery to thousands of patients around the world. How Does Gamma Knife Surgery Work?
Gamma Knife uses very precise beams of gamma rays to treat an area of disease (lesion) or growth (tumor). It’s most often used in the brain. The beams of gamma radiation send a very intense dose of radiation to a small area without a need to make an incision. Because the Gamma Knife has a fixed isocenter and fixates the skull for delivery, its accuracy (and resulting minimal dosing to healthy tissue) is superior to that of the LINAC. In addition, LINACs, used for stereotactic radiosurgery, usually take longer to treat than does the Gamma Knife (especially for multiple tumors). Bottom line? Gamma Knife radiosurgery uses focused radiation to target brain and pituitary tumors, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), acoustic neuromas and other conditions. When traditional brain surgery can't help or fails, Gamma Knife is the treatment of choice. How Does Gamma Knife Treatment Work? C30Os.