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By Mayo Clinic staff
Gamma-knife radiosurgery is often an appropriate alternative to standard brain surgery (neurosurgery), which requires incisions in the skull, membranes surrounding the brain and brain tissue. This type of radiation treatment is usually performed when:
- A tumor or other abnormality in the brain is too hard to reach with standard neurosurgery
- A person isn't healthy enough to undergo standard surgery
- A person prefers a less invasive treatment
Gamma-knife radiosurgery is most commonly used to treat the following conditions:
- Brain tumor. Radiosurgery is useful in the management of small noncancerous (benign) and cancerous (malignant) brain tumors. Radiosurgery damages the genetic material (DNA) in the tumor's cells. The cells lose their ability to reproduce, the cells die in some cases, and the tumor may gradually shrink.
- Arteriovenous malformation (AVM). AVMs are abnormal collections of arteries and veins that connect directly, instead of through a network of capillaries. These abnormalities disrupt the normal flow of blood and are prone to bleeding. Some people with brain AVMs develop signs and symptoms such as headaches or seizures. Radiosurgery causes the blood vessels to thicken and close off.
- Trigeminal neuralgia. Trigeminal neuralgia is a disorder of one or both of the trigeminal nerves, which originate at the base of the brain and control sensations of the forehead, cheek and lower jaw. This nerve disorder causes disabling facial pain that feels like an electric shock. After radiation treatment, a lesion gradually forms in the nerve and blocks the transmission of pain signals along the nerve.
- Acoustic neuroma. An acoustic neuroma, or vestibular schwannoma, is usually a benign tumor that develops along the nerve affecting balance and hearing. When the tumor puts pressure on the nerve, a person can experience hearing loss, dizziness, loss of balance and ringing in the ear (tinnitus). As the tumor grows, it can also put pressure on the nerves affecting sensations and muscle movement in the face. Radiosurgery can reduce the size or limit the growth of an acoustic neuroma with little risk of permanent nerve damage.
- Pituitary tumors. Tumors of the bean-sized "master gland" at the base of the brain can cause a variety of problems, because the pituitary helps regulate the thyroid, adrenal and reproductive glands. Radiosurgery can be used to shrink the tumor and lessen the disruption of pituitary hormone regulation.
References
- Stereotactic radiosurgery overview. International RadioSurgery Association. http://www.irsa.org/radiosurgery.html. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
- Gamma Knife® surgery. International RadioSurgery Association. http://www.irsa.org/gamma_knife.html. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
- Stereotactic radiosurgery. American Association of Neurological Surgeons. http://www.aans.org/Patient%20Information/Conditions%20and%20Treatments/Stereotactic%20Radiosurgery.aspx. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
- Gamma Knife®. Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=gamma_knife. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
- Stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=stereotactic. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
- Brain tumors. American Association of Neurological Surgeons. http://www.aans.org/Patient%20Information/Conditions%20and%20Treatments/Brain%20Tumors.aspx. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
- Arteriovenous malformations. American Association of Neurological Surgeons. http://www.aans.org/Patient%20Information/Conditions%20and%20Treatments/Arteriovenous%20Malformations.aspx. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
- Trigeminal neuralgia fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/trigeminal_neuralgia/detail_trigeminal_neuralgia.htm. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
- Vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma) and neurofibromatosis. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/acoustic_neuroma.html. Accessed Aug. 4, 2010.
- NINDS pituitary tumors information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/pituitary_tumors/pituitary_tumors.htm. Accessed Aug. 4, 2010.
- Kavanagh G, et al. Complications of cranial stereotactic radiosurgery. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 4, 2010.
- A typical treatment day. International RadioSurgery Association. http://www.irsa.org/treatment.html. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
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