Revolutionary Treatment for Brain Tumors and Neurologic Disorders
No two brain conditions are exactly alike. Using the most trusted and accurate radiosurgery technology in the world, Gamma Knife Icon at Mary Bird Perkins is a game changer for those suffering from even the most complex brain tumors and neurological disorders. Gamma Knife Icon is a noninvasive, frameless treatment requiring no cutting or incisions – helping you to triumph over cancer.
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, in partnership with Our Lady of the Lake, is among one of the first treatment centers in the country to lead a new way of healing for brain tumors, brain cancer and many other brain conditions.
What is Gamma Knife Icon?
Gamma Knife Icon is a noninvasive and innovative radiosurgery technology for the treatment of primary brain tumors, brain metastases and other central nervous system conditions. This technology is being used to treat patients at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Baton Rouge.
What Gamma Knife Icon Treats
The Leksell Gamma Knife Icon is the most precise radiosurgery device on the market, treating brain tumors and other central nervous system disorders. Gamma Knife Icon’s unparalleled radiation accuracy enables powerful treatment while limiting the dosage only to the brain tissue in need, keeping the surrounding tissue intact and unaffected, enhancing quality of life.
Previously, similar treatments took most of the day to complete and included the need for surgical attachment of a rigid frame to the patient’s skull for accuracy. Today’s technology uses a soft, custom-fit mesh mask to keep the head in place, eliminating the need for a surgically attached frame. This is made possible through cone beam CT imaging systems that determine the best workflow and treatment. Online Adaptive DoseControl™ enables continuous quality control during treatment and real-time clinical decision-making.
Gamma Knife Icon technology was developed and uniquely designed to deliver powerful precision, capable of successfully treating and resolving even the most difficult-to-reach brain tumors.
Primary Brain Tumors are a group or mass of abnormal cells in the brain, classified either as malignant or benign.
Vestibular Schwannoma Acoustic Neuroma is a benign brain tumor formed from an overproduction of cells, developing from, and affecting, the balance and hearing nerves in the inner ear.
Meningioma are primarily benign brain tumors that arise from the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.
Glioblastoma is a form of brain tumor that is often highly malignant.
Facial Nerve Pain (Trigeminal Neuralgia) is a chronic condition most triggered by a normal blood vessel next to the brainstem, causing compression of the largest nerve in the head resulting in excruciating facial pain.
Brain Metastases are cancer cells that have spread to the brain from primary tumors located in other parts of the body.
Arteriovenous Malformation is an abnormal tangles of blood vessels that often cause irregular connections between the arteries and veins in the brain, disrupting the flow of blood between arteries and the brain.
Pituitary Adenoma arise from the pituitary gland, and they are slow-growing tumors that that may produce an excess of one or more hormones.
Essential Tremor is a nervous system disorder that causes different parts of the body to involuntarily shake.
Patient Benefits
Because the brain is exceptionally sensitive, extra care must be taken when treating it. The Gamma Knife Icon is a dedicated tool, capable of delivering a highly-accurate, therapeutic dose of radiation to the brain while minimizing the impact on the patient’s normal brain tissues. Benefits include:
- Frameless
- Noninvasive
- Precise
- No Pain
- One-Time Treatment
- 192 Individual Beams