Gamma Knife Radiosurgery: Get all your doubts answered

Gamma Knife is a non-invasive, stereotactic radiosurgery instrument that is incision-free, scalpel-free and uses accurately focused radiation beams without harming the surrounding unaffected healthy tissues.

Gamma Knife Radiosurgery (GKRS) is done with the help of highly-focused high energy gamma radiations. It is non-surgical and it does not involve the use of a knife or blade.

This treatment is extremely useful in cases with inoperable or complex location tumours, or to treat a residual tumour following a complex surgery. 

In contrast to a comparatively less effective traditional whole brain radiation therapy that exposes the entire brain to low doses of radiation over multiple sessions, GKRS uses multiple beams of radiation at the same time that converge at the targeted area, thus allowing higher dose in a one-time treatment and is also more effective and most importantly without damaging the surrounding healthy tissues and hence less side effects as compared to traditional therapy. Similarly, owing to its minimally invasive nature, GKRS allows most patients to return to normal activities within a day. 

How does a Gamma Knife surgery work?
GKRS is multidisciplinary involving a team which consists of a Neurosurgeon, Neurologist, Radiologist and Radiation Physicist and other supporting staff. The procedure is conducted in the following steps:
•    Frame Fixation: under local anaesthesia, 4 pillar frame is fixed on the head of the patient. It usually is a 10 minute procedure.
•    Diagnostic Imaging: Imaging either a MRI or CT or both are done, for the purpose of planning. These scans help the doctor to locate the abnormality in the brain with accuracy.
•    Computerized treatment planning: The treatment is designed with the help of a three-dimensional software to hit the exact contours of the tumours with effective dosing of the radiation.
•    Radiation delivery: The patient’s head is held still while several sources of small radiations are focused on the target simultaneously. The procedure takes 30 minutes to 60 minutes depending on the number of the targets.

The Gamma Knife Perfexion System at P. D. Hinduja Hospital
P. D. Hinduja Hospital has dedicated more than 25 years in Gamma Knife, the 'Gold standard in Stereotactic Radiosurgery' for non-invasive treatment of brain tumours and vascular and functional disorders of the brain.

Proud to be the first in South Asia and the only centre in Western India. We continue to ensure the highest standard of medical care for our patients treating over 3000 patients.

Perfexion – Latest Gamma Knife Technology

Perfexion is the latest generation of Gamma Knife radiosurgery introduced by Elekta, the manufacturer of the Gamma Knife. 

Perfexion is specially made for the treatment of tumour of the brain and cranio-vertebral junction. 

The Gamma Knife Perfexion system is able to treat patients in less time and with greater precision than ever before.

It is the world’s first fully robotized technique which uses a cobalt-60 source.

Fully integrated and automated system: The radiation unit is housed inside of the machine itself.

Automated patient positioning system Simplified treatment procedure with considerably reduced execution time.

Perfexion offers many benefits over the older version of Gamma Knife machines:
•    One major advantage of the Gamma Knife Perfexion is that it provided shielding of healthy tissues up to 100 times greater than any other stereotactic radiosurgery system available.
•    Perfexion has a much higher degree of accuracy and precision.
•    Treatment is performed in a single session.
•    Perfexion helps the patient return back to the normal routine within 24 to 72 hours.

Which conditions can be treated with Gamma Knife® Radiosurgery?
•    Arteriovenous Malformations 
•    Acoustic Neuroma 
•    Meningioma 
•    Pituitary Tumour 
•    Brain Metastases: solitary / multiple 
•    Trigeminal Neuralgia 
•    Pineal tumours
•    Skull base tumours 

Benefits of Gamma Knife surgery for the patient:
1.    Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a minimally invasive technique that does not involve any incision or opening of the bone skull. Therefore, the risks associated with the conventional surgeries such as infection, bleeding, and neurological deficit is next to negligible in this case.
2.    Gamma Knife surgery is the only technique approved by FDA for the treatment of brain metastases.
3.    No general anaesthesia is required before Gamma Knife surgery.
4.    The patient undergoing Gamma Knife treatment is not required to attend rehabilitation services as they can return to their normal routine within a few days.
5.    Gamma Knife surgical procedure has made it easy for the surgeons to reach the areas of the brain that are difficult to access through conventional procedures. This technique can even reach to the cervical spine area with the fixation devices.
6.    The cost of the stereotactic radiosurgery is often 25 to 40 percent less than the traditional radiosurgery.
7.    Gamma Knife surgery is accurate and a reliable method to treat several different kinds of cancer.
8.    Patient need not stay in the hospital for a longer duration of time after the surgery.

For more queries and guidance, you may book an appointment with Dr. Abhijit Warade, Consultant Neurosurgery on 022 6766 8181/022 4510 8181 at P. D. Hinduja Hospital, Mahim, Mumbai.