If you’ve received a diagnosis of arteriovenous malformation, trigeminal neuralgia or several other disorders, you’re sure to be considering treatment options recommended by a neurosurgeon.
A frequently used intervention for medical conditions that are inoperable is stereotactic radiosurgery, otherwise known as Gamma Knife surgery. As it has a high rate of safety and efficacy, it has proven to be a valuable means of remediation for many people.
You’re probably asking, “How does Gamma Knife surgery work?” The overview below will answer this question, as well as discuss the procedure details and expected results.
What Is Gamma Knife Surgery?
With Gamma Knife surgery, no incision is involved in the treatment. Instead, specialized equipment is used to deliver approximately 200 beams of radiation to a precise target in the brain.
The magnitude of the radiation dose is strong enough to produce a desired effect on the disorder. Yet, because of the computerized scanning used to pinpoint the abnormality, it is accurate enough to protect the surrounding healthy tissues from serious harm. The intervention’s noninvasive aspect is a distinct advantage, enabling doctors to use it to help patients with complex conditions, such as trigeminal neuralgia (TGN).
How Does This Surgery Work?
This procedure is referred to as “surgery” because it is precise and only requires a single treatment. In trigeminal neuralgia, it partially damages the trigeminal nerve, thereby blocking the transmission of pain impulses.
The benefits don’t occur immediately, as the remediation effects of the radiation require weeks, and sometimes months, to develop. However, the outcomes of reduced pain and increased life expectancy are worth the wait.
What Is the Procedure Like?
Before Surgery
You will need to make a few simple preparations for Gamma Knife surgery before you enter the hospital. Refrain from eating or drinking anything after midnight on the evening before the treatment. Apprise your doctor of your medication regimen, and he will tell you what pills to take the night before and on the morning of the procedure. Wear loose-fitting clothes and remove dentures, contact lenses, eyeglasses and jewelry. Don’t wear makeup or nail polish. Inform your doctor if you have any medical implants in your body or if you have allergies to iodine or shellfish.
During Surgery
The day of the procedure will involve several preparatory steps. After a local anesthesia has been applied, a head frame will be gently positioned on your head with four pins. In the final step, you will undergo imaging scans such as computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging or cerebral angiograms. The information derived from these tests will enable the neurosurgery team to identify the exact location of the abnormality and calculate the dose of radiation needed.
During the treatment, which will take from one to four hours, you will lie on a bed that slides into the Gamma Knife machine. You won’t hear noise from the machine or feel the radiation. The medical team will observe the procedure from an adjoining room, and you may speak with them through a microphone.
After Surgery
Following the intervention, you’ll be permitted to eat and drink, but you may feel some discomfort. After the head frame is removed, it isn’t uncommon to experience minor bleeding and tenderness at the attachment sites. In addition, you may suffer from nausea or a headache, both of which can be alleviated with medication.
While the procedure is done on an outpatient basis, you may be required to remain for several hours before you are released. The process usually takes half a day, with no need for an overnight stay. Arrange ahead of time for a family member or friend to drive you home.
What Results Can You Expect?
The results are a manifestation of the effects of the radiation. How does Gamma Knife surgery work? Its action on the target in the brain produces the closure of blood vessels or the formation of a lesion as well as causes abnormalities to shrink, disappear or stop growing. The procedure’s lesion-creating effect on the nerve affected by trigeminal neuralgia leads to pain relief in several months.
Four decades of clinical research supports the value of the intervention, and it has been used on an estimated 850,000 patients worldwide since its development in 1968. Because Gamma Knife surgery doesn’t carry the risks of conventional surgery and general anesthesia, it is considered safe for many elderly and debilitated people.
Studies show a sizable percentage of patients with painful neurological conditions who undergo the treatment receive significant relief from their suffering. Given the advantages of the treatment, it’s easy to understand why it has become one of the top neurosurgical treatments used in 21st century medical practice.
