Conditions We Treat

Conditions Treated with Gamma Knife Surgery at Swedish Medical Center

Gamma Knife® surgery is a unique process that utilizes 201 extremely precise gamma beams to focus and treat a specific area in the brain. There are definitive benefits to Gamma Knife surgery vs. traditional brain surgery.

Gamma Knife® surgery is indicated for:

Intracranial Tumors, including:

Brain metastases
Glial tumors
Meningiomas
Pinealomas
Pituitary tumors
Acoustic neuromas (which account for approximately 8 percent of all tumors inside the skull - stereotactic radiosurgery is quickly becoming the most commonly chosen treatment by patients with acoustic neuromas)

Functional Disorders, including:

Trigeminal neuralgia, a very painful, hard-to-treat nerve disorder, for which the Gamma Knife has many advantages. (To download Swedish's overview of different treatment options for Trigeminal neuralgia, click here)
Intractable pain

Vascular Malformations, including AVMs.

Neurological Disorders:

Research is being conducted on other possible uses for Gamma Knife, such as treating epilepsy and Parkinson's disease.

Gamma Knife® Surgery:

Safe, accurate and reliable.
Gamma Knife surgery is a non-invasive, outpatient procedure.
Does not require shaving of the scalp; causes no hair loss, scarring, disfigurement or other side effects often seen with traditional brain surgery and/or radiation therapy.
Patients experience virtually no pain, discomfort or side effects.
Lower incidence of postoperative complications, infections and internal hemorrhage.
Patients are usually discharged within 24 hours, reducing the cost of treatment compared to traditional brain surgery; costs are 30 to 70 percent less than conventional brain surgery.
Patients usually return to preoperative lifestyle the day following the procedure.
Gamma Knife surgery is covered by Medicare and most insurance providers.

From Our Medical Director:

"Leksell Gamma Knife® perfectly complements our current treatment options," said Dr. Marsh Davis, Radiation Oncology Medical Director for Swedish. "The Leksell Gamma Knife® will allow us to provide a new dimension in the treatment of brain disorders, offering unparalleled accuracy and precision while being gentle to the patient."