Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center

Mischer Neuroscience Institute

Gamma Knife

In the past three decades, more than 250,000 patients worldwide have been treated with Gamma Knife radiosurgery. Gamma Knife is a non-invasive, painless and effective tool for treating a wide range of abnormalities of the brain. Since acquiring the first Leksell Gamma Knife ® in the region in 1993, the multidisciplinary team – combining neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists and medical physicists – has used the device to treat more than 1,700 patients for:

• Brain metastases
• Acoustic neuromas
• Meningiomas
• Arteriorvenous malformation (AVM)
• Trigeminal neuralgia
• Pituitary adenomas
• Chordomas
• Craniopharyngiomas
• Gliomas
• Pineal tumors
• Hemangioblastomas

A radiosurgery device, Gamma Knife uses 201 cobalt sources to deliver focused beams of gamma radiation to precisely targeted abnormalities of the brain. Unlike traditional brain surgery, Gamma Knife requires no incision, virtually eliminating common surgical risks, including infection and blood loss.

The procedure is painless and performed on an outpatient basis. Most patients return to work the following day.

Contrasted to traditional brain surgery, Gamma Knife radiosurgery:

• Requires no craniotomy
• Allows treatment of otherwise inaccessible lesions
• Precisely pinpoints radiation directly on the lesion, minimizing the exposure of surrounding tissue
• Is relatively painless
• Results in fewer complications
• Requires no blood transfusions
• Requires no general anesthetic in adult patients
  

For patients who qualify, Gamma Knife is safe, quick, effective and painless outpatient surgery, offering the added advantages of:

• No hair loss
• Less fatigue
• Faster recovery
• Less expense (since it requires no hospitalization or ICU admission)

Candidates for the Gamma Knife program are assessed by both a neurosurgeon and a radiation oncologist. For patients with conditions unsuitable for Gamma Knife surgery, Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center's skilled physicians offer a full range of other options.

Patient Comfort

The Gamma Knife Center's dedicated nursing staff is skilled in addressing patient needs, including comfort and counseling. The use of sedation and analgesics ensures as anxiety- and pain-free an experience as possible.

For more information or physician referral, call 713-222-CARE (2273).