Conditions We Treat with Gamma Knife Surgery at Cleveland Clinic
Our specialists use Gamma Knife surgery to treat several brain conditions, including:
- Acoustic neuroma, a noncancerous tumor that affects balance and hearing.
- Arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a snarled tangle of blood vessels.
- Cancerous and noncancerous brain tumors, like brain metastases, pituitary adenomas and more.
- Tremors, from conditions like essential tremor or Parkinson’s disease.
- Trigeminal neuralgia, a chronic (ongoing) condition that causes extreme face pain.
- Some types of epilepsy.
We may also use Gamma Knife to help treat brain lesions in hard-to-reach places and to help:
- Keep blood from flowing through misshapen blood vessels.
- Prevent cancer from spreading.
- Stop nerves from sending impulses.
- Stop tumors from growing again after brain surgery.
0 Providers Who Perform Gamma Knife Radiosurgery
Locations
Our healthcare providers see patients at Cleveland Clinic's Main Campus and Akron General Medical Outpatient Center.
Gamma Knife Surgery at Cleveland Clinic
When appropriate, our experts use Gamma Knife surgery to treat brain lesions with pinpoint accuracy. This precision-targeting treatment spares healthy brain tissue and reduces the likelihood of side effects while treating the underlying condition with very high success rates. With Gamma Knife, we can treat many simultaneous brain lesions in a single session.
Before we recommend Gamma Knife surgery, your neurosurgeon will take a complete medical history and do a physical exam. We may recommend Gamma Knife if you:
- Have health conditions that would make brain surgery challenging.
- Have multiple lesions or tumors.
Preparing for surgery
There are a few things you’ll need to do to prepare for Gamma Knife surgery:
- If you’re having Gamma Knife for AVM, you shouldn’t eat or drink anything after midnight the night before the surgery.
- Take your morning medications with sips of water the morning of surgery. And bring all your medications (including inhalers) with you.
- Wash your scalp the night before surgery and wear your hair loose without clips, pins or bands the day of surgery (your head won’t be shaved).
- Wear comfortable clothes (nothing that needs to go over your head) and slip-on shoes.
- Make sure you have a family member or friend that can drive you to surgery and take you home afterward.
What to expect the day of surgery
Plan to spend the whole day with us when you arrive for Gamma Knife surgery. The first thing you’ll do is meet with your care team. They’ll ask about any medications you take, any allergies you have and if you have any medical devices in your body (like a pacemaker).
Before the procedure, we may put an IV into a vein in your arm. The IV sends a dye into your body to make tumors and brain tissue easier to see. If you’ve already had an MRI a few days before surgery, then you won’t need this step. We’ll just give you an oral medication to relax you.
Now it’s time for surgery. There are two options to help us target the radiation:
Frame-based surgery
We numb four spots on your head with a local anesthetic/numbing medication. Then we attach a lightweight frame to your head with special pins (this doesn’t hurt). This frame lets us pinpoint the exact area in your brain to treat with radiation. Then we may we take pictures of your brain using:
We review these pictures and use them to help plan your precise, personalized treatment.
Mask-based (frameless) surgery
Before your treatment, you’ll lie down on the treatment table, and we’ll make a custom mask by warming up a piece of lightweight, breathable mesh and placing it over your forehead, eyes, cheeks and chin so it molds to fit your face perfectly. This doesn’t hurt. It’s not hot — just comfortably warm. The nose area is cut out so you can breathe easily. On treatment day, you’ll wear this mask. The mask serves the same purpose as a head frame. It helps keep your head steady during the procedure so we can target the areas for treatment with complete precision.
Staged radiosurgery
If you have large brain metastases (tumors), your neurosurgeon may recommend staged radiosurgery. The Gamma Knife process is the same, but we use a smaller dose of radiation to treat the lesions and have you return in a month for another treatment.
Taking the Next Step
Gamma Knife surgery can make facing brain surgery a little less unsettling. This minimally invasive procedure takes knives out of the picture (despite its name). It’s a safe, effective and painless way to help shrink or destroy a brain tumor or lesion, or to keep it from growing. Cleveland Clinic specialists are Gamma Knife surgery experts. If you need this treatment, we’re ready.
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Getting an appointment with Cleveland Clinic Gamma Knife surgery experts is easy. We’re here to help you get the care you need.
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