ABSTRACT
Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) is a type of radiation therapy used to treat tumors, vascular malformations and pain disorders. Gamma Knife radiosurgery utilizes specialized equipment which focuses 201 narrow beams of radiation on a tumor or other target. Although each beam has very little effect on the tissue it passes through, a strong dose of radiation is delivered to the site where all the beams meet. The precision of GKRS results in minimal damage to healthy tissues surrounding the target; thus having a lower risk of side effects compared with other types of radiation therapy. GKRS can be used to treat benign and malignant tumors, arteriovenous malformations, brain metastases and functional disorders such as trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and glossopharyngeal neuralgia, especially in idiopathic and medically refractory cases. It manages these conditions non-invasively, without the pain and risk of complication associated with traditional surgery with most patients being able to resume normal activities the following day. GKRS is also known as stereotactic radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, and fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy.