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What is Gamma Knife?
Developed in Sweden in the 1950s, the Gamma Knife has been in use in the United States for more than two decades, providing patients with a treatment option for brain disorders that were once only treatable by open skull surgery. With unsurpassed and proven clinical outcomes, the Gamma Knife is the gold standard in cranial radiosurgery.
In Gamma Knife radiosurgery, a focused dose of radiation is used to stop and/or reduce the growth of abnormal tissue. The Gamma Knife radiation distorts the DNA mapping of the cells and renders them unable to divide. The 192 beams of radiation are focused on the abnormal tissue area with the area of intersection conforming to the size and shape of the target. Each of the individual beams provides a relatively small, harmless dose of radiation. Only at the point where the narrow beams converge is the radiation at its most powerful, therefore preventing injury to surrounding healthy tissue.
Equipped with the most advanced radiosurgical device available, Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™, Hoag’s treatment system takes Gamma Knife radiosurgery one step further.
Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion delivers the most efficient and precise radiosurgery treatments to date. With an expanded treatment area and enhanced accuracy, this sophisticated system allows Hoag clinicians to treat tumors that were unreachable using previous technology.
Gamma Knife treatments take place in a single day without an incision, allowing patients to quickly resume their normal activities.
Benefits of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery
Gold standard in cranial radiosurgery
Gamma Knife radiosurgery is one of the most advanced means available for the treatment of brain disease. Backed by over two decades of clinical application in the U.S. and supported by thousands of peer-reviewed journal articles, no other neurosurgical tool has met with such impressive results—no other existing technology is able to deliver high levels of radiation to a tumor or other target, while sparing surrounding healthy tissue.
Minimized health risks
Since the Gamma Knife does not require an incision, and in most cases is used with only mild sedation and a local anesthetic, risks associated with conventional surgery are eliminated. Additionally, the design of the Gamma Knife ensures that only abnormal tissue is treated—surrounding healthy tissue being spared.
Shorter hospitalization
Gamma Knife patients generally leave the hospital the day of treatment and are able to resume normal activities in a short period of time. Conventional neurosurgery requires lengthy hospital stays and a long recovery period.
Lowered costs
Gamma Knife offers a cost-effective treatment option due to the minimal hospital stay and brief recovery period. Most major insurance carriers cover Gamma Knife treatment, including Medicare, Medi-Cal, most HMOs and PPOs.
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