Gamma Knife
Make an Appointment
If you're facing brain surgery, you might have another option. Gamma Knife treatment can shrink or destroy brain tumors in a safe, effective way.
Gamma Knife radiosurgery uses focused radiation to target brain and pituitary tumors, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), acoustic neuromas and other conditions. When traditional brain surgery can't help or fails, Gamma Knife is the treatment of choice.
How Does Gamma Knife Treatment Work?
Without a scalpel or knife, Gamma Knife radiosurgery delivers radiation more accurately than conventional radiation therapy. It creates high-energy beams of radiation strong enough to deactivate even some of the most aggressive tumors.
Gamma Knife Center
The Gamma Knife Center can treat your neurological conditions with a noninvasive technique without entering the skull. Schedule an appointment to learn more about this procedure.
JASON SHEEHAN: I think patients come to the University of Virginia for the expertise of the treatment team, the fact that we have the most advanced gamma knife technology, and the fact that we've led the field of stereotactic radiosurgery for brain disorders for nearly three decades.
SELENE EVANS: What makes UVA, I think, unique is the team, is the team approach and the expertise of the team.
JASON SHEEHAN: I think patients come for the experience. They understand that when you're going for a brain treatment, for brain surgery, that you really want the expertise. You can't get, necessarily, a do-over in some brain surgery operations. The first time is the best time to do it right and do it well.
And that experience that our team has in gamma knife radiosurgery, as well as the fact that we've led the field in developing new approaches with gamma knife, is really what draws patients.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Gamma Knife Treatment vs. Traditional Surgery
Avoid these risks of traditional brain surgery:
- Long hospital stays
- Lengthy rehabilitation
- Damage to healthy brain tissue
- Surgical complications, like hemorrhage, infection and cerebral spinal fluid leak
- General anesthesia dangers
- Other physical trauma and disruption of normal brain function
Many insurance plans cover Gamma Knife treatment.
How Much Does Gamma Knife Cost?
Get a general idea of what you'll have to pay: Use calculators, see price lists, or ask for a personalized estimate.
Conditions We Treat
- Acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma)
- Arteriovenous malformations (AVM)
- Brain metastases
- Brain tumors (malignant and benign)
- Chondrosarcoma
- Chordoma
- Craniopharyngioma
- Dural malformation
- Epilepsy
- Glial tumor
- Hemangioblastoma
- Meningioma
- Metastatic tumors
- Movement disorders
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Pineal tumors
- pituitary adenoma Pituitary tumors, like
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Tremors
- Uveal melanoma
Gamma Knife Icon
We are the first center in Virginia to use Icon, which offers even more accuracy, precision and safety than previous models. This allows for treatment without the head frame required by previous Gamma Knife versions. With Icon, we can now treat patients with: Large tumors Lesions close to critical parts of the brain Abnormal skull anatomy