Gamma Knife Center
How Does Gamma Knife Work?
To be referred to a Los Robles Hopital & Medical Center Gamma Knife Center physician call 1-877-888-5746
How Does Gamma Knife Work?
If you're considering Gamma Knife radiosurgery, here's what to expect:
Gamma Knife surgery requires the expertise of several specialists, including a physicist, a neurosurgeon, a radiation oncologist, an anesthesiologist (for children and patients with special problems) and a specially trained registered nurse.
To find the precise target for the gamma rays, a titanium imaging frame (called a stereotactic frame) is attached to your skull with a series of small rods or pins. You may receive a type of sedation, called conscious sedation, which allows you to remain awake during the procedure, but feel no pain.
After the frame is attached, a picture of your brain is made using a scanner, such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or CT (computerized tomography). The brain images then appear as a three-dimensional picture with reference points to the head frame on a computer screen. The picture is used to develop your treatment plan.
During treatment, you rest on a sliding platform bed as your head enters a sphere containing 201 sources of synthetic radioactive isotope material called cobalt 60. These sources are positioned so that the beams focus directly on the area of your brain that needs treatment.
You wear the imaging frame, which is surrounded by a helmet with focusing holes in it, during treatment. The helmet shields your head from unwanted radiation, allowing only a predetermined amount to get through as you enter the Gamma Knife. Beam sizes can be adjusted by using different helmets with holes of various sizes. Doctors and nurses monitor you from an adjoining room during the procedure, using video cameras and an intercom system.
Treatment can be as short as 15 minutes or as long as two hours, depending on several factors, such as the number of times you must be repositioned, the strength of the cobalt sources and the dose of radiation used. You will probably be asked to see your doctor for a checkup about a month after the procedure. Depending upon your diagnosis, you may need a follow-up MRI or CT scan after the radiosurgery.
