The invention of Gamma Knife in 1967 was a game changer for patients with neurological conditions that were untreatable with conventional surgery. It also gave doctors a valuable tool to help those who lacked the health needed to withstand general anesthesia. Like all medical procedures, the remediation carries some likelihood of adverse effects; but they should be viewed within the context of the potential for considerable benefit.
The discussion below will provide an overview of the process, which will enable you to understand how Gamma Knife surgery risks pale when weighed against the treatment’s advantages.
Gamma Knife Description
Instead of making the incision in the skull required by open surgery, this noninvasive procedure consists of delivering multiple gamma rays to a precise target. Consequently, your disorder will receive an intense dose of radiation, which should produce a desired result over a period of weeks or months. The treatment is called “surgery” because the effects are similar to those that an actual surgery would render.
Conditions Gamma Knife Is Used to Treat
Gamma Knife surgery risks are relatively minor, so neurosurgeons frequently use the intervention to treat several disorders. These include trigeminal neuralgia, a condition involving periods of extreme facial pain, as well as acoustic neuroma, a noncancerous mass that affects the hearing nerves. In addition, Gamma Knife is one of the top methods for remediating inoperable brain tumors and arteriovenous malformations.
What to Expect Before, During and After the Procedure
Your preparation will start before you enter the hospital. On the day preceding the surgery, wash your hair, but don’t use any hair toiletries other than shampoo. Refrain from eating or drinking anything after midnight. Your doctor will advise you what medications to take the morning of the treatment, as well as the ones to stop taking prior to the event. Bring all of your medications with you to the hospital. Don’t wear nail polish or makeup, and remove contact lenses and dentures.
Once you are admitted to the facility, the medical team will prepare you for the intervention. After you change into a hospital gown, a nurse will start an intravenous line in your arm. Next, the staff will fit you with a head frame and gently attach it to your skull with pins. The points of attachment will be numbed beforehand. Afterwards, you will undergo imaging tests such as magnetic resonance imaging, computerized tomography or angiogram to pinpoint the exact location of your disorder.
During the treatment, you will lie on a table that slides into the machine that emits the radiation. The medical team will oversee the procedure from another room via a camera. You will be able to speak with them through a microphone.
All patients return home on the day of treatment. Make arrangements ahead of time for someone to drive you. If you don’t experience any adverse effects, you may resume your normal activities on the next day.
Gamma Knife Surgery Risks
Following the treatment, you may have some side effects. The points on your skull where the head frame was attached may be sensitive and red, but these symptoms should dissipate with time. In comparison to other kinds of radiation therapy, Gamma Knife is considerably less likely to damage healthy brain tissue; however, it may temporarily cause swelling, which can result in headaches and nausea. You may also feel fatigued, a response that may linger several weeks. Long-term neurological problems stemming from the procedure are rare.
The mildness of Gamma Knife surgery risks compare favorably to risks you would incur with conventional surgery, including infection, bleeding and dangers of anesthesia. As the treatment focuses on an accurate target, it minimizes the possibility of harming surrounding brain tissue, nerves and blood vessels. Because of the low probability of it causing problems, even many elderly and debilitated patients can safely undergo Gamma Knife.
Why the Benefits Outweigh the Risks
Unlike conventional surgery, the benefits take weeks and sometimes months to develop. Although the treatment involves this delay, most patients find the results are worth the wait due to its high efficacy rate. The remediation makes it harder for tumor cells to reproduce, so it leads to the shrinkage of both malignant and benign brain tumors.
While the process may require two years, Gamma Knife causes the abnormal blood vessels associated with arteriovenous malformation to thicken and close. The beneficial effects in trigeminal neuralgia are equally impressive, as the treatment creates a lesion that blocks pain signals from traveling along the trigeminal nerve. No guarantees exist, but a majority of patients receive positive outcomes.
Weighing Gamma Knife surgery risks against the benefits is necessary before you decide to have the treatment. This evaluation is not difficult. When you put the two entities on a set of scales, the advantages are significantly weightier. The lives of brain tumor patients can be prolonged, and those who suffer from the excruciating pain of trigeminal neuralgia can receive relief. A relatively small likelihood of side effects is a small price to pay for improved quality of life.
