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Results
By Mayo Clinic staff
The treatment effect of Gamma Knife radiosurgery occurs gradually, depending on the condition being treated:
- Benign tumors. Gamma Knife radiosurgery results in the failure of tumor cells to reproduce. The tumor may shrink over a period of 18 months to two years, but the main goal of Gamma Knife radiosurgery for benign tumors is to prevent any future tumor growth.
- Malignant tumors. Cancerous (malignant) tumors may shrink more rapidly, often within a few months.
- Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). The radiation therapy causes the abnormal blood vessels of brain AVMs to thicken and close off. This process may take two years or more.
- Trigeminal neuralgia. Gamma Knife radiosurgery creates a lesion that blocks transmission of pain signals along the trigeminal nerve. Pain relief may take several months.
You'll receive instruction on appropriate follow-up exams to monitor your progress.
References
- Stereotactic radiosurgery overview. International RadioSurgery Association. http://www.irsa.org/radiosurgery.html. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- Gamma Knife surgery. International RadioSurgery Association. http://www.irsa.org/gamma_knife.html. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- Stereotactic radiosurgery. American Association of Neurological Surgeons. http://www.aans.org/Patient%20Information/Conditions%20and%20Treatments/Stereotactic%20Radiosurgery.aspx. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- Chen CC, et al. Stereotactic cranial radiosurgery. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=stereotactic. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- Arteriovenous malformations and other vascular malformations of the central nervous system fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/avms/detail_avms.htm. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- NINDS trigeminal neuralgia information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/trigeminal_neuralgia/trigeminal_neuralgia.htm. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- Vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma) and neurofibromatosis. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/acoustic_neuroma.aspx. Accessed March 19, 2013.
- Gamma Knife. Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=gamma_knife. Accessed March 19, 2013.
- NINDS pituitary tumors information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/pituitary_tumors/pituitary_tumors.htm. Accessed March 19, 2013.
- Kavanagh B, et al. Complications of cranial stereotactic radiosurgery. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- A typical treatment day. International RadioSurgery Association. http://www.irsa.org/treatment.html. Accessed March 19, 2013.
- Neurological diagnostic tests and procedures. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/misc/diagnostic_tests.htm. Accessed March 19, 2013.
- Link MJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 15, 2013.
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