What is involved in a Gamma Knife treatment?
On the day of treatment, the patient will have a lightweight frame attached to the head. Local anesthesia is used before the frame is secured in place. The frame is used in conjunction with an imaging procedure to accurately locate the diseased area. With the frame in place, the patient either has an MRI or CT imaging study or, in the case of an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), angiography, in order to precisely locate the diseased area to be treated. Data from the imaging study is transferred into the treatment planning computer. While the patient rests, the treatment team (which consists of a neurosurgeon, radiation oncologist and physicist) uses advanced software to determine the treatment plan. This takes one or two hours to complete depending on the complexity and location of the disease. When the individual treatment plan is completed, the patient is placed on the Gamma Knife couch and precisely positioned. The patient is then moved automatically, head first into the machine, an
