In 1949, Professor Lars Leksell of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden discovered that by miniaturizing surgical intervention in the skull, it would reduce the mortality rate and the trauma to the patient. Leksell's stereotactic frame, and the concept of using beams of X-rays to surgically treat lesions in the brain, led to the creation of the Gamma Knife.
The first commercial version of the system was introduced in 1986. Nearly 7,000 patients had surgery with it over the next five years and by 2006, that number had increased to nearly half a million.
The Gamma Knife Perfexion uses ionizing gamma radiation emitted from 192 cobalt-60 radioactive sources whose beams converge on a precise selected area of the brain. Highly sophisticated computer software is used to determine the size, location and shape of the area to be treated. Only at the point where all 192 beams cross is there enough radiation delivered to affect the diseased tissue. There is minimal effect on the surrounding healthy tissue.
No incisions need to be made to expose the brain, which reduces the risk of surgical complications — such as infection and hemorrhages — and eliminates the side effects and dangers of general anesthesia. It is much safer than traditional brain surgery, with a much lower complication rate.
Gamma Knife radiosurgery, which has been used at UAMS since 1999, is a simple procedure. The new Gamma Knife Perfexion system, launched in 2006, has the distinct advantage of delivering a significantly reduced amount of radiation during treatment to non-targeted areas, making it safer for patients who may not have been considered for such treatment, such as children and women of childbearing age.
For more information or to find out if this treatment option is right for you, please call our Gamma Knife Center at 501-603-1800.
If you are a doctor who has a patient with trigeminal neuralgia and wish a consult, please call 501-603-1800.
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