The Technology & Workings of
the Gamma Knife
The technique that provides the precision necessary to locate intracranial lesions is called stereotaxis. For stereotactic radiosurgery, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized tomography (CT)
scanning and/or angiography are used in conjunction with special computer-assisted instruments to produce three-dimensional views of the lesion and the surrounding brain structures. Using these images, the physician can precisely locate the brain lesion and focus the gamma radiation beams emitted by the Gamma Knife.
The Gamma Knife uses radioactive cobalt-60 as its source of gamma rays. During the Gamma Knife procedure, the patient lies on a treatment couch and the
physician positions the patient's head within a metal helmet, called a collimator helmet. This helmet contains 201 small openings through which the radioactive sources are focused simultaneously at their small target within the head. The size of the target can be varied depending on the size of the openings in the helmet. By using stereotactic techniques and computer technology, a high radiation dose can be delivered to a target of almost any shape. Each of the individual beams provides a relatively small, harmless dose of radiation. Only at the point where the beams converge is the radiation at its most powerful and tissue destroyed. Thus, the Gamma Knife prevents injury of surrounding healthy tissue.
The Versatile Gamma Knife…
The Gamma Knife is effective on a multitude of vascular malformations,
tumors and functional disorders, including:
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Acoustic neuromas |
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Metastases |
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Pituitary adenomas |
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Glial tumors |
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Pinealomas |
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Arteriovenous Malformations |
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Craniopharyngiomas |
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Parkinson's Disease |
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Meningiomas |
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Trigeminal Neuralgia |
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Chordomas |
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Chronic intractable pain |
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Chondrosarcomas |