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International Physician Update
The Gamma Knife: Brain Surgery Without a Scalpel
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| Neurosurgeon Daniele Rigamonti, in the eye of the gamma knife. |
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The gamma knife is not a knife at all. It’s a revolutionary, non-invasive surgical tool that targets and destroys deep-seated brain tumors while preserving surrounding normal tissue. That’s because the “blades” of this knife are actually beams of gamma radiation that bombard lesions when they intersect, but as independent rays pass harmlessly through tissues in the skull.
“That makes it especially valuable for patients who are at high risk for surgical complications, as well as for those whose tumors are situated in an inaccessible or critical area of the brain,” says neurosurgeon Daniele Rigamonte, noting that Hopkins now has a gamma knife in its new Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.
During the procedure, a headpiece, or stereotactic frame, is attached to the patient’s head, allowing for precise targeting of the gamma rays. Although the entire process generally takes several hours, the actual treatment phase lasts only about 15 minutes to an hour. And because there is no incision or dissection, the risk of pain and complications is greatly reduced.
The gamma knife has proven highly effective in destroying both malignant and benign brain tumors and vascular malformations, and in treating trigeminal neuralgia, or facial pain. Other conditions treatable by gamma knife include acoustic tumors, arteriovenous malformations, meningiomas, metastatic brain tumors and pituitary tumors.
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