Gamma knife
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In medicine, a Gamma Knife is a neurosurgical device used to treat brain tumors. It was invented by Lars Leksell, a Swedish neurosurgeon in the 1950s.
A typical Gamma Knife unit contains 201 cobalt-60 sources of approximately 30 curies each, placed in a circular array in a heavily shielded assembly. The unit directs gamma radiation to a target point through a procedure in which the patient wears a specialized helmet on their head to direct the radiation. Such target points selected in the brain can be placed at the center of the radiation focus, allowing a tumoricidal radiation dosage to be delivered in one treatment session. The Gamma Knife has proved effective for thousands of patients with benign or malignant brain tumors, vascular malformations, pain or other functional problems.
The procedure is less invasive than alternative surgeries like Micro-decompression for neurological disorders. In the case of treatment for Trigeminal neuralgia the procedure may be used repeatedly on patients.
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