Gamma Knife Surgery is a well-known treatment method used to treat selected places in the brain. More than 30,000 patients have Gamma Knife Surgery each year. There are 200 Leksell Gamma Knife systems in operation around the world. HCA hospitals and affiliated centers will have seven (7) Gamma Knife sites by the end of year 2004.

The Leksell Gamma Knife is not a knife in the normal sense of the word. The doctor makes no incisions in the head and the treatment, with a special type of radiation called gamma beams, is painless. This treatment allows the patient to quickly return to his or her normal daily routine.

Gamma Knife Surgery uses 201 extremely accurate gamma beams that are focused on the treatment area in the brain. The patient's head is placed in a helmet like device called a collimator with 201 small openings for the beams to move through to get to the targeted area. A lightweight frame is used to help position the head.

During treatment, all the beams meet in a focal point with sub-millimeter precision providing protection to the surrounding normal brain tissue. The individual beams are too weak to damage healthy tissue on their way to the treatment area, but are very powerful when they come together at a single point. This is like using a magnifying glass in the sun. By moving the head in one or more positions, the shape and dose of the radiation is optimized to treat only the target without damaging surrounding areas.

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