For Immediate Release September 19, 2003
Contact: Robert Cavanaugh
732-632-1586
New Jersey Neuroscience Institute:
Brain Surgery Without a Scalpel
EDISON, NJ-It sounds like a riddle. When is a knife not a knife? Well, when it’s a Gamma Knife.
In a little over 30 years since its introduction in Sweden, the Gamma Knife has become a well-accepted standard of care for the non-surgical treatment of inaccessible or inoperable brain tumors. Many brain abnormalities once treated only through open brain surgery can now be treated with this noninvasive procedure and in a single day. And many brain abnormalities considered inoperable now have an alternative treatment.
“Gamma Knife technology was designed specifically to stop or reverse the growth of abnormal tissue in the brain. That means that an inoperable tumor doesn’t have to be left to grow, it can be brought under control and its damaging impact on the brain minimized,” says Dr. Joseph Landolfi, a neuro-oncologist and director of the Institute’s Gamma Knife Program at the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK Medical Center in Edison.
With pinpoint accuracy, the Gamma Knife focuses beams of radiation at a specific target delivering enough radiation to destroy a tumor or lesion deep within the brain while keeping the skull intact. The beams are focused with such precision that radiation is delivered only to the target, sparing surrounding healthy tissue, blood vessels and nerves.
“Gamma Knife technology removes the trauma, risks, and side effects generally associated with open surgery or radiation therapy,” comments Landolfi.
There are an estimated 100,000 to 170,000 new patients with brain metastasis in the United States each year. There was a time when invasive surgery and multiple radiation treatments were the only option for these patients. Gamma Knife technology allows for a safer, effective treatment option without the risks generally associated with open surgery or heavy radiation treatments. With Gamma Knife surgery, there is no risk of surgical complications like infection or side effects of general anesthesia. And rather than long hours in surgery and long stays at the hospital, many brain surgeries using Gamma Knife technology last only three to five hours and patients are often released after an overnight stay.
“The increased accuracy, minimized risks, and quality of life issues like
being able to quickly resume everyday activities, make Gamma Knife surgery an
excellent choice when conventional surgical techniques are too risky,”
says Landolfi. “Gamma Knife is also useful for patients who are advanced
in age or whose medical condition precludes surgery.” Gamma Knife technology
has successfully been used on patients with brain disorders such as:
- Acoustic neuromas
- Pituitary adenomas
- Pinealomas
- Craniopharyngiomas
- Meningiomas
- Chordomas
- Chondrosarcomas
- Metastases
- Glial tumors
- Arteriovenous Malformations
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
NJNI is the only facility in New Jersey and only one of approximately 50 institutions nationwide that offers Gamma Knife technology.
The New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK Medical Center is a comprehensive
facility designed exclusively for the diagnosis, treatment, and research of
complex neurological disorders in adults and children. Services offered at the
Institute include programs in spine and brain tumors, dizziness and balance
disorders, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, stroke, and movement disorders. As a department
of Seton Hall University's School of Graduate Medical Education, NJNI serves
as the clinical setting for SHU's residency training in neurology. For more
information on the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute, call 732-321-7950 or visit
the facility online at www.njneuro.org.