Gamma Knife Radiosurgery is a precise form of radiation therapy used in the treatment of tumors and other disorders in the brain. In the procedure, specialized equipment delivers nearly 200 beams of gamma rays to a target.
Consequently, the abnormality receives an intense, highly focused dose of radiation with only minimal damage to the surrounding healthy tissues. The intervention is called surgery because the results are comparable to a surgical procedure; however, it doesn’t involve an incision.
Is Gamma Knife Radiosurgery Costly?
A 2015 study published in the “Journal of Clinical Neuroscience” compared Gamma Knife Radiosurgery cost with the fees involved in traditional brain surgery. On average, the procedure was only 40.9 percent to 58.8 percent as expensive as the open surgery.
The authors concluded the intervention was a cost-effective first-choice alternative to standard surgery for treatment of brain tumors in patients well-suited to either approach. Gamma Knife Radiosurgery cost is covered by most insurance companies, and the price varies with the health care provider.
What Disorders Does Gamma Knife Radiosurgery Treat?
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery is typically used to remediate the following conditions.
- Trigeminal Neuralgia: This painful facial disorder involves one or both trigeminal nerves, structures that send sensory information between your brain and certain parts of your face. Of the several available treatments, Gamma Knife Radiosurgery, which damages the nerve to stop the passing of pain signals, is the choice that involves the lowest risk.
- Brain Tumors: Gamma Knife Radiosurgery should be considered for the up-front, or adjuvant treatment of both cancerous and noncancerous brain tumors. This focused, single-session, technique works by disrupting the genetic code in tumor cells. As a result, the cells lose their ability to reproduce, effectively killing the tumor and stopping growth “in its tracks.”
- Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM): A tangle of arteries and veins in your brain, an AVM shunts blood flow and can potentially lead to bleeding and/or seizures. Gamma Knife Radiosurgery can “close down” the abnormal blood vessels within the AVM over time, thereby reducing or eliminating their long-term potential to bleed.
- Acoustic Neuroma: This disorder is a noncancerous tumor that grows along the nerve involved in balance and hearing. It causes hearing loss, dizziness and balance problems. Gamma Knife Radiosurgery is often the best up-front treatment for these benign tumors as this procedure has the highest rate of facial strength preservation compared to open surgical techniques. Again, the goal is to stop tumor growth, but, occasionally, tumor size reduction can be realized.
How Can You Get Ready?
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery involves few preparations. Don’t consume any food or beverages after midnight on the evening prior to the procedure. Ask your doctor if and when you can take your prescribed medications.
Dress in comfortable clothing, and avoid wearing makeup, nail polish, dentures, wigs, jewelry and contact lenses. Let your doctor know if you have any allergies and if you have any medical implants on your body.
What Should You Expect During the Procedure?
In the majority of cases, the entire process takes about half of a day. More often than not, most of a day is required to undergo the treatment. Before the intervention starts, you may be administered a sedative to help you relax.
After receiving a small amount of numbing medication to the scalp, four pins are gently applied so that the Gamma Knife frame can be positioned appropriately for the actual treatment. Following the head frame application, you undergo a brain scan that enables the neurosurgeon and team of radiation specialists to focus the treatment on the appropriate target(s) and calculate the exact dose of radiation as well as the treatment time.
During the procedure, you lie on a padded table that gently slides you into the Gamma Knife machine. More often than not, patients fall asleep during the treatment due to the fact that the treatment is painless. The time required varies from less than one hour to approximately four hours.
You won’t feel the radiation, and you can speak with the doctors who are in the next room through an intercom. When the treatment is over, the frame is gentle removed and, then, you get to go home.
Any assessment of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery cost should include possible adverse effects in addition to the monetary outlay. Since the procedure doesn’t involve incisions, it doesn’t have the risks of traditional surgery such as an infection, bleeding and complications of anesthesia. You may encounter early side effects that include fatigue, headaches, nausea and vomiting.
Other possible side effects to the treatment day include forehead swelling (which always goes away). Notify your doctor if you develop headaches, nausea or weakness. Late side effects are rare and may involve neurological problems months after the procedure.
What Results May You See?
Effects of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery are gradual rather than immediate. Benign tumors may respond favorably over a period of 18 months to two years while malignant tumors may respond within a few months.
The treatment causes the tangled blood vessels of AVMs to close, but the process may require at least two years. Pain reduction from trigeminal neuralgia may take weeks.
When weighing Gamma Knife Radiosurgery cost to the potential benefits, it merits serious consideration. The treatment might produce significant results, and it carries fewer risks than other procedures.
