What does the Gamma Knife procedure involve?
“The Gamma Knife will make a tremendous difference in enhancing the quality of life of patients in the Carolinas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee. Because it provides rapid non-invasive treatment, patients can often get back to normal faster and with less discomfort.” Stephen Tatter, M.D., Ph.D., a neurosurgeon and Co-director of the Gamma Knife Center. It’s an outpatient procedure which allows patients to go home in about half a day. Only a single treatment is needed. The Gamma Knife treatment itself takes about an hour on average. Patients can usually return to their normal routine within a day of the procedure. Over 95% of patients are treated on an ambulatory basis and do not require hospitalization. In addition to the other benefits of this non-invasive procedure, use of the Gamma Knife may be more cost-effective than conventional surgery. Also, much of the disability and convalescence associated with conventional surgery is avoided.
