Gamma-ray Knife and Application Features in Medicine

Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKR) is a sophisticated procedure that delivers a concentrated dose of ionizing radiation to a pre-identified therapeutic target. A non-invasive radiation therapy intended to address numerous disorders impacting the brain and upper spine. The inaugural GKR facility was established by Leksell in 1951, during an era when intracranial surgical interventions resulted in significant morbidity and mortality. Initially intended for the management of functional problems, it was first employed to treat a patient with a craniopharyngioma and another with a pituitary adenoma. Initially, gamma radiation from radioactive cobalt sources was used instead of proton beams and linear accelerators. The incredibly accurate delivery of a radiation dose in three dimensions to treat a growing range of intracranial and skull-base lesions is known as stereotactic radiosurgery. In order to cause biological damage with the least amount of radiation to the surrounding tissue and without opening the skull, radiosurgery employs a high radiation dose to the volume of the target lesion. The Gamma Knife is not a surgical technique and does not need any physical cutting, despite its name. Rather, it targets and treats anomalies like cancers, lesions, and vascular malformations with remarkable accuracy using perfectly focused gamma radiation beams. With the introduction of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and head computed tomography (CT), its application became more widespread. The Gamma Knife Perfusion employs three simple collimators spaced centrifugally in eight segments to emit radiation pulses from 192 cobalt-60 sources toward a predetermined intracranial spot. We chose the GKR method because we believe it to be the most accurate radiation method currently used in neurosurgery to treat intracranial lesions.