What
to Expect
Contrary to its name, there
is no knife in Gamma Knife®.
No incisions are involved in this safe,
painless and effective procedure used for more than 30,000 patients
every year.
While the Gamma Knife treatment is a relatively quick outpatient
procedure, because of preparation and treatment planning time, you
should expect to spend most of the day at our facility. The treatment
process includes:
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Attaching the Gamma Knife head frame
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Imaging: MRI, CT or
angiography
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Treatment planning, and
treatment
A step-by-step description of the Gamma Knife process and what to expect
on treatment day follows:
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Referring physician
If a referring physician suspects that a patient has a brain
tumor, or other form of neurological malformation or functional
disorder, he or she will refer the patient to a neurosurgeon or
radiation oncologist.Neurosurgeon or radiation
oncologist
If the neurosurgeon or radiation oncologist confirms the referring physician’s diagnosis
through examination and testing, he or she will recommend the
appropriate treatment procedure. If Gamma Knife is recommended,
the doctor will discuss the benefits, risks, and recovery
process with the patient, and explain what the patient
should expect on the day of the procedure.
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TREATMENT DAY
Attaching the headframe
Upon arrival at the South Sound Gamma Knife facility on the St.
Joseph Medical Center campus in Tacoma, the patient will be met
by a specially trained nurse who will help the patient check-in
and get ready for the placement of the headframe, diagnostic imaging,
and the procedure itself. The patient will then go to St.
Joseph’s day surgery center where the neurosurgeon will fit the
patient with the special lightweight “stereotactic headframe”.
Under local anesthesia, this unique device will be temporarily
affixed to the skull by four shallow screws so that the
patient’s head will not move during diagnostic imaging, or the
actual Gamma Knife procedure.
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Diagnostic imaging
After the headframe is in place, the patient will be taken
downstairs for diagnostic imaging, which may involve MRI
(magnetic resonance imaging), CT scan (computed tomography) or
angiography. Three-dimensional imaging is required to
determining the exact size, shape and position of the
radiation’s “target abnormality” in the brain. During the
process, a special “coordinate box” is temporarily placed atop
the headframe to provide the precise map-like reference points
(coordinates) of the target your team will be treating. The
coordinate box will be removed before the actual Gamma Knife
process begins.
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Building the customized treatment plan
Once the images have been taken, the patient can rest and listen to
music or watch a TV while the Gamma Knife team (neurosurgeon, radiation
oncologist and physicist) analyzes the diagnostic images and designs the
specific treatment plan. Every patient’s plan is different, individually
crafted to address their specific needs. Creating the complex plan takes
approximately two hours.
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The treatment
After the plan is completed, the patient’s treatment can begin.
The patient will lay down on the treatment couch and the
headframe will be attached to the special “Helmet” inside the
Gamma Knife unit. During the whole procedure the patient is
awake and can communicate with the team via audio and video. The
treatment is totally silent and painless, and lasts anywhere
from a few minutes, to an hour, depending on the size and shape
of the target.
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After the treatment
When the treatment has been completed, the stereotactic
headframe will be removed. Some patients will experience a mild
headache, or minor swelling, where the headframe was attached,
but most experience no problems. Patients typically can go home
an hour after the headframe is removed, and most return to
normal activities in just a day or two. In cases where the patient
had an angiogram, they will be required to lay quietly for
several hours before leaving. |
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Treatment results take time
The effects of Gamma Knife Treatment will occur over time.
Radiation treatments are designed to slow or stop the growth of
lesions or tumors over a period of weeks or months. The Gamma
Knife team stays in contact with each patient to assess
progress, which may include follow-up MRI, CT or angiography
images. |
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