Gamma Knife

Overview Conditions Gamma Knife is a type of radiation treatment known as stereotactic radiosurgery that destroys a brain or pituitary tumor without opening the skull as in traditional open surgery. A CT or MRI scan is used to pinpoint the exact location of the tumor in the brain. High-energy radiation beams are trained on the tumor from different angles. The radiation destroys the tumor. Radiosurgery is called "surgery" because it is a one-session radiation therapy treatment with similar results to an open surgical procedure. The advantage of knifeless procedures is that they have fewer complications and the recovery time is much shorter. Gamma knife treatment is used for brain, spinal cord and pituitary tumors. Inova's Inova Neuro-oncology Program offers gamma knife treatment. Call 703-776-4700 for more information.