Gamma Knife® Surgery Explained

Scientists come up with interesting terms for medical procedures, like Gamma Knife® radiosurgery. While this may sound invasive and painful, it’s quite the opposite. No knives are involved in gamma knife surgery and no pain — just accuracy and expediency in resolving serious issues ranging from brain tumors to trigeminal neuralgia.

At Miami Neuroscience Center,  Dr. Aizik L. Wolf is a board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in this brain surgery, which means he has the experience and expertise you want when undergoing Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

In the following, we provide a preliminary outline of what Gamma Knife radiosurgery entails.

Radiation, not knives

Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a technique in which we deliver targeted radiation into your brain to address diseased tissues or growths. This energy includes 192 gamma-ray beams that we use to accurately excise problematic tissues in your brain. These beams are so precise that we can confine them to the target tissues without collateral damage.

Not only are there no knives involved in this type of stereotactic radiosurgery, but we don’t make any incisions at all. Instead, we use computer guidance and advanced imaging to target the lesions or growths with gamma rays, which pass harmlessly through your skin and bone.

Many uses for Gamma Knife surgery

At our practice, Dr. Wolf turns to Gamma Knife surgery to treat a number of different issues, including:

• Brain tumors
• Trigeminal neuralgia
• Acoustic neuromas
• Blood vessel issues

Gamma Knife radiosurgery can also address neurological issues like tremors and epilepsy.

Undergoing Gamma Knife radiosurgery

Not only is Gamma Knife radiosurgery not invasive, but it’s also painless. To perform this surgery, we use a frame or mask to keep your head still while we deliver the radiation. We might provide you with a mild sedative if the procedure is long or you’re anxious.

Performing Gamma Knife radiosurgery usually takes only 30 minutes to an hour or two. Afterward, we send you home with complete aftercare instructions.

Gamma Knife radiosurgery works

While it’s good to know that Gamma Knife radiosurgery is noninvasive and painless, you want to know if it works.

We’ve had great success stories at Miami Neuroscience Center with this surgery and are happy to share them with you. For now, we can point you toward a couple of outside studies. 

One study included 87 patients who underwent Gamma Knife radiosurgery for trigeminal schwannomas, and researchers found that the “overall local tumor control rate was 90%, and the symptom response rate was 93%.”

Another second study, which followed 6,000 patients who underwent Gamma Knife radiosurgery for brain metastases, found an 84-97% local control rate of the tumors. 

These are two among many studies that highlight how effective this approach to brain surgery can be.

If you have more questions about Gamma Knife radiosurgery, we’re happy to provide you with all the information you need. Simply contact our office in South Miami, Florida, to set up an appointment.