Many patients consider these issues when deciding for their best treatment:
~ What is the chance that my pain will go away?
~ How long will be there be pain relief?
~ What are the potential side effects?
~ What is the cost?

Here are some frequently asked questions that prospective surgery patients may have.

» WHO IS IT FOR?
Gamma Knife surgery is most commonly used for:

~ Brain Tumors: It works for both benign and malignant brain tumors. It often treats tumors located in areas of the brain so difficult to access that they may have been termed inoperable.

~ Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs): AVMs are abnormal collections of blood vessels where arteries and veins are connecting directly, instead of through a network of capillaries. When located in the brain, these abnormalities can cause severe bleeding, headaches, or even seizures. While many of these lesions can be removed with a scalpel, the Gamma Knife is a better option with less risk of injury.

~ Trigeminal Neuralgia: This nerve disorder causes disabling facial pain that feels like an electric shock. The Gamma Knife can create a lesion on the nerve, blocking its pain signals. It is usually performed for older patients or for patients with re-current pain after other operations.

~ Acoustic Neuromas: These noncancerous tumors, also called schwannomas, develop on the nerve that affects balance and hearing. The Gamma Knife can effectively control the growth of these tumors with a lower risk of deafness or loss of facial movement, compared to conventional surgery.

~ Pituitary Tumors: Tumors of the pea-sized “master gland,” which is located deep within the brain, can cause a variety of problems because the pituitary controls the thyroid, adrenal and reproductive glands. The Gamma Knife is effective at stopping abnormal hormone secretion that can result from the tumor.

Here is a partial list of some intracranial diseases treated by the Gamma Knife:
Brain Tumors:
- Glioblastomas
- Anaplastic astrocytomas
- Gliomas/ Astrocytomas
- Oligodendrogliomas
- Ependymomas
- Pilocytic astrocytomas
- Meningiomas
- Pituitary tumors
- Pineal region tumors
- Acoustic Neuromas
- Neuromas of the cranial nerves
- Glomus jugulare tumors
- Metastatic brain tumors

Skull Base Tumors:
- Invasive squamous and basal cell carcinomas
- Chordomas
- Chondrosarchomas
- Esthesioneuroblastomas

Functional problems:
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Parkinson’s disease

Ocular Neuromas:
- Uveal melamona
- Orbital metastases
- Optic nerve sheath meningioma

»HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR IT?
Don’t eat or drink anything the night before the procedure. However, you can take your regular medications with water.

» HOW IS IT DONE?
Please refer to the "How It Works" section in the website for more information.

» WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT DURING THE PROCEDURE?
The helmet does not cover your face and you will not feel any radiation. There will also be no noise during the treatment. You may rest comfortably for approximately one hour. The treatment is completely painless and it will be similar to having a CT scan.

» WHAT ARE THE RESULTS?
You may go home the same day after the procedure has been done.



The Gamma Knife does not show immediate results. Usually patients have to wait for weeks, months, or even years before the effects of the treatment become visibly apparent. Progress is monitored through follow-up imaging studies. Some abnormalities dissolve gradually, eventually disappearing. Others simply exhibit no further growth.

For a brain tumor:


After one year, 40% of arteriovenous malformations are cured, increasing to 80% after two years:


» IS IT COST EFFECTIVE?
Cost studies have shown Gamma Knife Radiosurgery to be less expensive than conventional neurosurgery because it eliminates lengthy post-surgical hospital stays, expensive medication and sometimes months of rehabilitation. Importantly, there are virtually no post-surgical disability and convalescent costs with this procedure. Gamma Knife Radiosurgery is reimbursed by most insurance companies, PPO's, HMO's, and Medicare.

It usually costs $7,000 to $18,000.

The effect of a stereotactic radiosurgery on a brain tumor
Left: before surgery. Right: 4 months after surgery