Gamma Knife Treatment

• Gamma Knife is used to inactivate benign brain tumors and malignant tumors andcost of Gamma Knife in India is USD 6400 to USD 7000.
• The beams focus on the target tissue and delivers its effect during asingle procedure lasting 15 to 70 minutes.
• No hospitalization is required for Gamma knife butpatient should expect to stay 3 days outside the hospital.
• Tests required before Gamma Knife are MRI, Blood Tests,CT Scans or Cerebral Angiogram.

Treatment Cost

More About Treatment

Diagnosis for Gamma Knife Radiosurgery

Gamma Knife radiosurgery is most often used to treat:

• Brain tumors and other lesions in the brain
• Certain neurological conditions, such as trigeminal neuralgia wherein pressure on the trigeminal nerve leads to extreme facial pain
• Acoustic neuroma– a tumor in the brain that affects the nerves that control hearing
• Arteriovenous malformationsor AVM (a type of blood vessel defect)
• Pituitary tumors
• Gamma Knife radiosurgery may be used in situations where the brain lesion cannot be reached by conventional surgical techniques

Recommended:Gamma Knife Radiosurgery

• To ensure fitness for the procedure complete physical examination and blood tests or other diagnostic tests.
• Inform your physician if you are sensitive to or are allergic or have any bleeding disorder.
• Inform your physician of all medications and supplements that you are taking.
• If you have any type of implant.
• If you are pregnant or suspect that you are pregnant, you should notify your physician.
• You will be asked to fast for eight hours before the procedure.

• Gamma Knife radiosurgery is usually an outpatient procedure. In some cases, an overnight stay in the hospital may be necessary.
• Intravenous (IV) line is attached to keep you hydrated during procedure.
• Head frame placement to prevent movement of head during procedure you will have a lightweight head frame attached to your head with four pins or screws, The head frame also is a guide to focus the beams to the exact location of the lesion being treated.
• You'll receive numbing shots in places on your scalp where the pins will be inserted.
• Some of your hair may be shaved.
• After numbing the scalp the doctor attaches the head frame to prevent the head movement.
• Once the head frame is in place,you'll undergo imaging scans of your brain that show the location of the tumor to be treated or other abnormality determined using Computed Tomography (CT scan) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
• After the CT or MRI scan has been completed, the radiation therapy team will make use of imaging studies and software to create a treatment plan.
• A special radiation helmet will be positioned over head frame , the helmet has holes that allow only programmed radiation to pass through. You will be made tolie on a bed that slides into the Gamma Knife machine.
• The treatment is silent and painless, you won't feel the radiation. You won't hear any noise from the machine.
• You'll be able to talk with the doctors via a microphone.
• The time taken may be few minutes to a few hours depending on size and shape of treatment area.

• The head frame will be removed.
• You may have minor bleeding or tenderness at the pin sites.
• you will be monitored for few hours.
• If you experience headache, nausea or vomiting after the procedure, you'll receive appropriate medications.
• Recovery time from gamma knife treatment is minimal.
• Its important to have follow-up exams to monitor your progress. Follow-up with a Neurosurgeon and/or Radiation Oncologist will be made after approximately 4 to 6 weeks post treatment. Depending on the condition treated, follow-up scans will be done routinely.

You may be interested in:Effects of gamma knife radiosurgery for brain tumors

There may be:

• Swelling of the brain-leading to symptoms such as headache, nausea and vomiting
• Fatigue may occur for few weeks
• Your scalp may be red, irritated or sensitive at sites where a device is attached to your head during the treatment
• temporarily loss of hair where treatment is directed
• numbness
• seizures
• loss of balance
• vision problems
• Radiation exposure during pregnancy may lead to birth defects

Helpful:What is Gamma Knife used for?

The cost to the patient depends on a variety of factors like:

• The hospital, the patient chooses
• Fee for the team of doctors and procedure charges
• Cost of medications
• Standard tests and diagnostic procedures
• Cost of the follow–up care

FAQs

Q: What area the advantages of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery?
A: The advantages are:

• It is non - invasive surgical treatment.
• Often performed when tumor or other abnormality in the brain is too hard to reach with standard neurosurgery.
• When person isn't healthy enough to undergo standard surgery.
• Radiation only kills abnormal cells while sparing normal tissue around them.
• Recovery time from gamma knife treatment is minimal.

Q: How does Gamma Knife Radiosurgery work?
A: Gamma Knife radiosurgery uses specialized equipment to focus about 200 tiny beams of radiation on a tumor or targeted area inside the head. Thus providing a very intense dose of radiation without a surgical incision or opening.It distorts or destroys the DNA of tumor cells, causing them to be unable to reproduce and grow. The tumor will shrink in size over time.

Q: Is Gamma Knife Radiosurgery safe?
A:Gamma Knife radiosurgery is safer than many existing proceduresbecause patients need not undergo risky, open-skull procedures with long hospitalization.

Q: Why is Gamma Knife called surgery?
A: Gamma Knife radiosurgery is called “surgery” because results similar to an actual surgical procedure are created by a one-session radiation therapy treatment.

Q: What are warning signs after the procedure?
A: The warning signs are:

• severe headache that is not relieved by medication
• any weakness, numbness, or vision problems increasing after procedure
• continued bleeding or other drainage from the pin sites
• seizures

Q: What are the results observed after Gamma Knife radiosurgery?
A: Results are generally seen over a period of time after the procedure.In cases of tumors goal is shrinkage of tumor and to prevent any future tumor growth, in cases of AVMs the therapy causes AVMs to thicken and close off. In Trigeminal neuralgia it blocks transmission of pain signals.

Q: What are the types of Radiosurgery?
A: There are three main types of radiosurgery:

• Gamma Knife Radiosurgery-using cobalt as a source for gamma rays. During Gamma Knife treatment, the equipment does not move.
• Linear Accelerator (LINAC) systems-use high-energy x-rays to treat a tumor or other lesion. LINAC systems also differ from the Gamma Knife in that the machinery moves around the patient during treatment.
• Proton Beam Therapy or Cyclotron-Proton beam therapy is a type of particle beam radiation therapy uses particles such as protons or neutrons.

Q: What is the success rate of Gamma Knife radiosurgery?
A: The surgery is best for smaller tumors, and success rates vary with the types of tumors .Success rates can be as high as 70 to 90 percent.

Q: Will I be hospitalized for Gamma Knife radiosurgery?
A: No, generally Gamma Knife radiosurgery is usually an outpatient procedure, In some cases, an overnight stay in the hospital may be necessary.

Q: Is it a painful procedure?
A: No, the procedure is painless, you won't feel the radiation.