Gamma Knife

Bangkok Hospital is the first and only hospital in Thailand that possesses the amazing technology of Gamma Knife. It allows for the treatment of neurological diseases in a safer and more effective manner.

At present, there are approximately 180 Gamma Knife centers worldwide and our center is the first & only one in the country. Therefore, we maintain a policy of being an OPEN CENTER, we welcome any qualified physicians from both the government and the private sector to bring their patients who are in need of Gamma Knife Treatment.

Bangkok Neurological Gamma Center is the establishment in Southeast Asia to provide patients with a better and less riskier alternative to conventional surgical treatment of certain brain diseases. Conventional surgery exposed the patients to many complications from infections and anesthetics.

Gamma Knife, which was invented by Professor Lars Leksell of Karolinska Institute, Stockholm in Sweden, in 1968, is a great medical contribution to society. Gamma Knife is a single treatment modality unit which emits 201 Gamma Ray beams stereo-tactically and precisely to the brain lesion without harming the surrounding tissues. This treatment requires highly trained and knowledgeable staff including physicians, nurse, medical physicists and technologists.

Gamma Knife is widely acknowledged as the best choice for the treatment of brain diseases. The technology of Gamma Knife itself is a major invention, however, it maximizes its accuracy and capacity by using the imaging devices which enable a physician and medical physicist to precisely locate the lesion and calculate the volume and strength of the required radiation.

At the point of treatment, the stereotactic frame will precisely be applied on the exact spot of the lesion to accurately treat it. When an application session is finished, the frame will gradually be degenerated, and the entire treatment procedure will be completed. The actual treatment will usually 30 minutes - 2 hours. After completion of all the treatment procedures, the physician at the hospital will intensively observe the patient for one night before their discharge.

Gamma Knife Features :

1. Treating a lesion precisely without harming surrounding tissues, scalp hair or skull.
2. The precision is so high and definite that a small lesion in a range of 1 to 2 millimeters is treatable.
3. The radiation can access to almost any particular area of the brain.
4. The volume, strength and direction of the radiation beam is controllable so that it can be adjusted to fit the patient's condition, and diverted from the undesirable area if necessary.
5. Gamma Knife surgery is bloodless and painless.There is no incision and no anesthesia except for certain cases that require a sedative or local anesthesia for the frame fixation

Process of Gamma Knife Treatment :

1. Frame Fixation : The stereotactic frame, which is fully adjustable, is applied to the patient's head.
2. Imaging of the Lesion : CT scan, MRI or Angiogram will conduct 3D images of lesion.
3. Computing Treatment Plan : The information obtained from the imaging devices will be loaded into a computer to generate a treatment plan. Radiation dosage will then be calculated.
4. Treatment : The patient will be brought into the treatment room. Helmet and frame will be applied to the patient's head and then the radiation process will commence. The calculated dosage will be automatically emitted into the brain. The treatment process takes only 30-120 minutes.

Effective Treatment :

• Arteriovenous Malformation of the Brain (AVM) : 80% of patients resulted in total obliteration of the lesion in 2 years.
• Brain Tumor and Acoustic Neuroma : 90-95% of patients have had good control of tumor growth. The facial nerve is consistently preserved in almost all of the cases unlike conventional surgery that often resulted in facial paralysis. Most importantly, 80% of the cases did not lose hearing after radio-surgery of acoustic neuroma.
• Meningioma and Pituitary Adenoma : Skull base lesions such as meningioma and pituitary adenoma are also treatable with an excellent result.
• Brain Metastasis : Brain Metastasis can be surgically radiated by Gamma Knife and has resulted in good control of tumor growth.
• Other Cases : Other functional disorders, Trigeminal neuralgia, Parkinson's disease, psychiatric illness and possibly parasitic lesion may be treatable under intensive investigation.

Advantages of Gamma Knife Surgery

Gamma Knife Surgery is truly an alternative for the treatment of brain diseases, particularly for the treatment of tumors, AVM metastatic brain lesions, and functional disorders. As compared to conventional surgery, it is much safer and easier for the patient.

The followings are some of the advantages:

1. For a deep lesion such as a brain stem lesion, Gamma Knife surgery is a better and less riskier alternative because the radiation can access the location of the lesion for treatment without harming the surrounding tissues. It is a high-risk method to treat a deep lesion using conventional surgery.
2. Gamma Knife surgery does not require anesthesia. This greatly reduces the risks for elderly and cardiac patients. General surgery requires general anesthesia.
3. A maximum of 2 days of hospitalization may be required. Conventional surgery may require intensive care, observation and more than 20 days of hospitalization.
4. No risk of blood loss, infection or pain.
5. No incision, no skin defect or hair shaving.
6. A minimum effect to the surrounding tissues.
7. Inexpensive and no post-surgery care.

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