 | John P. Gorecki, M. D., is board-certified in neurosurgery and practices with Wichita Surgical Specialists. He is medical director of Wesley’s Gamma Knife Center. For more information about the Gamma Knife, log on to www.wesleymc.com. |
Health & Wellness
2006-02-01 15:30:00
What is a Gamma Knife?
A Gamma Knife is not actually a knife. It’s a device that uses a high dose of radiation to destroy brain tumors with one treatment, without harming surrounding brain tissue. This is possible because its 201 beams of radiation are weak as they travel through the brain, but powerful when they meet in the tumor. Computer technology enables doctors to precisely direct the beams so that they intersect only in the tumor. After treatment, the tumor stops growing and usually shrinks or disappears completely. The Gamma Knife is especially valuable in cases where a tumor cannot be reached by surgery without harming the brain.Gamma Knife treatment is performed on an outpatient basis and patients are able to return to their normal activities within one or two days. In addition to brain tumors, the Gamma Knife can treat blood vessel malformations in the head, and the facial pain of trigeminal neuralgia.Gamma Knife technology has treated more than 300,000 patients worldwide since it was first developed 20 years ago. There is only one Gamma Knife in Wichita. It was installed in 2003.
