Safe. Accurate. Cost-Saving Brain Surgery Without
Incision
Developed by Professor Lars Leksell of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden over 30
years ago, the Gamma Knife is a revolutionary neurosurgical tool used in the treatment of
intracranial benign and malignant tumors, vascular malformations and certain functional
disorders of the brain. With the addition of the Gamma Knife, UAMS Medical Center can now
offer a treatment option to
patients with brain tumors or other brain disorders once
considered inoperable, and can offer a minimally-invasive treatment alternative to
patients with lesions which were once only treatable with conventional neurosurgery.
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery The Gamma Knife is actually not a knife at all but a remarkable tool that allows
surgeons to operate on abnormal areas of the brain and its surrounding tissues without
making an incision. Using a technique called stereotactic radiosurgery, it is designed to
precisely target and either destroy or inactivate abnormalities within the head using
highly focused gamma rays. The Gamma Knife contains 201 cobalt-60 sources placed in a
hemispherical array in a heavily shielded unit. A collimator helmet focuses the radiation
to a specific target point within the head with .3 mm positioning accuracy.
By delivering the radiation through 201 portals evenly distributed around the patient's
head, the Gamma Knife targets tumors or malformations with three-dimensional precision.
The 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.
The treatment is not experimental. The Gamma Knife has been in use for over thirty years,
having treated more than 100,000 patients worldwide
(Continued).
To make an appointment for a consultation
call the Gamma Knife Radiosurgery Center at: 501/603-1800. Or Call the UAMS Access Center at: 501/686-8000, Or E-mail:baxterrhoadeskarenl@uams.edu
patients with brain tumors or other brain disorders once
considered inoperable, and can offer a minimally-invasive treatment alternative to
patients with lesions which were once only treatable with conventional neurosurgery.
