Gamma Knife Training Courses

Overview

2024 - 2025 Course Dates

For more information, please contact Martha Tobin at 216.312.9101 or tobinm@ccf.org

• Gamma Knife Center - Advanced Cranial Radiosurgery Brochure.

Location

Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center
9500 Euclid Ave., CA-LL-063
Cleveland, OH 44195

Introductory and Upgrade Course

Program Descriptions

Introductory Course Description for new Gamma Knife® users:

This educational experience provides an opportunity to expand the practitioner's range of treatment options to include this precise form of stereotactic radiosurgery. The course will provide hands-on sessions with Leksell Gamma Plan® PFX™ with experienced experts in Gamma Knife radiosurgery. Upon completion of the course, participants will have completed training approval for Gamma Knife® usage.

Upgrade Course Description for experienced Gamma Knife® users:

This educational experience provides an opportunity to extend the experienced Gamma Knife® practitioner's range of treatment options to include this more advanced form of stereotactic radiosurgery. Participants will become familiar with the new features of Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ and/or Icon™ when upgrading from previous models. Upon completion of the course, participants will have completed training approval for Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ or Icon™ usage.

Target Audience

• Neurosurgeons.
• Medical Physicists.
• Radiation Oncologists.
• Neuro-otolaryngologists.

Learning Objectives

1. Apply the principles of stereotactic frame application, imaging, and use of radiosurgery treatment hardware.
2. Identify the basic principles and biophysics of radiosurgery and how they apply to day-to-day patient treatment.
3. Recognize radiation safety issues and principles, as well as become familiar with the emergency procedures as they pertain to radiosurgery.
4. Review the clinical indications, parameters of treatment, and outcomes of radiosurgery.

Course Topics

• Evolution of Radiosurgery - Features and Benefits.
• Stereotactic Frame – Application and Use.
• Basic Principles of Radiosurgery.
• Radiosurgery for Gliomas.
• Basic Radiobiology.
• Planning (Shot) Strategy.
• Planning Demonstration.
• Frame Placement.
• Radiosurgery for Brain Mets.
• Radiosurgery and Benign Tumors.
• Radiosurgery for Physics.
• Gamma Knife and Nursing Practices.
• TPS Administration.
• Calibration and Practical Physics.
• Technical Description.
• AVMs and AVM Planning.
• Functional Neurosurgery & Functional Planning.
• Hands-On Clearance Procedures, QA & Emergency Procedures.
• Technical Session: CBCT & HDMM.
• Practical Introduction to Radiosurgery with Imaging.
• Radiation Safety & NRC Regulations.
• Advanced Planning Options.
• Inverse Planning Demonstration.
• Console Frame and Mask.
• Frameless SRS: Intratreatment Image Guidance and Fractionation.
• Advanced Features of the Planning Software.
• Gamma Knife and Radiation Tech Practices.
• Stereotactic Image Distortion and Historical Errors.
• System Nuances.
• Coding and Reimbursement (For US participants).
• Commissioning (For international participants).

Registration

A minimum of five registrants is required for this course. We recommend you do not make travel arrangements until your registration is confirmed. To register, contact Shana Spade at spades@ccf.org.

Tuition:

• In-Person Course: $4,500 (Includes 2.5 days of instruction, course syllabus, breakfast, lunch and break refreshments each day, two dinners.

Payment:

• $500 deposit is required at the time of registration.
• Tuition must be paid in full prior to the start of the course.
• Make checks payable to: The Cleveland Clinic Educational Foundation.

Cancellation Policy:

• Cancellation policy prior to the course commencement: Up to 21 days, $500.
• From 21 – 14 days, 25% of the fee.
• Up to 14 – 7 days, 50% refund prior to commencement of the course.
• No refunds after 7 days, but registration is transferable.

General Course Information

In-Person Course Location

View a map of the Cleveland Clinic campus and obtain driving directions.

Ground Transportation

Taxi service is available from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to Cleveland Clinic's campus. The distance is approximately 16 miles. Van transportation will be provided from the campus hotels for group dinners and from the course to the airport on the final day.

Accreditation

In support of improving patient care, Cleveland Clinic Center for Continuing Education is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Faculty Disclosure

The Cleveland Clinic Foundation Center for Continuing Education has implemented a policy to comply with the current Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education Standards for Commercial Support requiring resolution of all faculty conflicts of interest. Faculty declaring a relevant commercial interest will be identified in the activity syllabus.

Disclaimer

The information in this educational activity is provided for general medical education purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the independent medical judgment of a physician relative to diagnostic and treatment options of a specific patient's medical condition. The viewpoints expressed in this CME activity are those of the authors/faculty. They do not represent an endorsement by Cleveland Clinic. In no event will Cleveland Clinic be liable for any decision made or action taken in reliance upon the information provided through this CME activity.

Americans with Disabilities Act

The Cleveland Clinic Foundation Center for Continuing Education fully intends to comply with the legal requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you need assistance, please notify Martha Tobin at 216.445.3449 or tobinm@ccf.org at least two weeks prior to the activity.

Information

For further information about the course, contact:
Martha Tobin
Phone: 216.445.3449
Cell: 216.312.9101
Email: tobinm@ccf.org

If you have any special needs that require additional assistance or any dietary restrictions, please contact Martha Tobin at 216.445.3449. Requests must be received at least two weeks prior to the start of the course.

Faculty

Course Directors

Gene Barnett, MD, MBA, FACS*
Director, Rose Ella Burkhardt Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center
Director, Cleveland Clinic Gamma Knife Center®

Lilyana Angelov, MD, FRCS (C)*
Course Co-Director, Cleveland Clinic Gamma Knife Center
Department of Neurosurgery and Rose Ella Burkhardt Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center

John Suh, MD*
Chairman, Radiation Oncology
Associate Director, Cleveland Clinic Gamma Knife Center

Course Faculty

Technical Support