In the summer of 1997, the Departments of Neurological Surgery and Radiation Oncology jointly began operation of a Gamma Knife for stereotactic radiosurgery. The Gamma Knife is used to control benign and malignant brain tumors, obliterate arteriovenous malformations, and relieve pain from trigeminal neuralgia in patients who are unwilling or unable to accept the risks associated with conventional surgery.
The Gamma Knife precisely focuses gamma rays from 201 hemispherically arrayed cobalt sources through a helmet onto a highly specific target within the brain. Although the radiation effects from any one of the beams is low, the summation of the beams at the target point results in a strong peak dose of radiation delivered to the lesion with a rapid fall-off of the dose into the surrounding normal brain tissue. In a field where it is critical to have a precise conformation of the toxic radiation dose to the borders of the lesion, the Gamma Knife is the unparalleled leader. Our Neurosurgeon, Dr. Thomas Witt is the Co-Director of the Lions Gamma Knife Center. He is the only Neurosurgeon in Indianapolis who's Fellowship specifically was focused on stereotactic neurosurgery and radiosurgery.
Physician Team |
Thomas C. Witt, M.D., Neurosurgery
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