STEREOTAXIS RADIOTHERAPY

LEKSELLGAMMA KNIFE® ICON™

As leaders in our field, ABJ, boasts Africa’s first Leksell Gamma Knife® Icon™ machine at Netcare Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg. The Leksell Gamma Knife® Icon™ is the most precise Gamma Knife cranial radiosurgery device on the market, offering those with brain tumours tailored treatment.

The Leksell Gamma Knife® Icon™ is the only technology with micro-radiosurgery capabilities, allowing for the treatment of virtually any target in the brain. With ultra-high precision, this machine allows targeted radiation while limiting radiation dose and sparing healthy brain tissue.

The Leksell Gamma Knife® Icon™ introduces several new innovations, such as integrated imaging and software to continuously control dose delivery. It also makes it possible to treat our patients without a minimally invasive fixation while assuring the same highest level of precision.
The several optimised workflows enable us to adapt to the requirements of each case without compromising on the accuracy, while the online adaptive dose control setting allows us to alter the dosage for each unique case at the time of treatment, in real-time. The Icon can target the smallest, most complex lesions or multiple metastases with the highest accuracy and lowest dose to normal tissue.

When is the Leksell Gamma Knife® Icon™ an option for treatment?

This treatment option is designed for all head pathologies, both benign and malignant. The decision to use a Gamma Knife depends on where the tumour is located within the brain, as well as the type of tumour. For areas of the brain where standard surgical treatment is not advisable or even possible, the Gamma Knife® Icon™ is often the alternative treatment option due to its accuracy and precision.

The Gamma Knife® Icon™ may also be an alternative to radiotherapy for those with brain cancer. Unlike conventional radiation therapy, the Gamma Knife can be done in far fewer treatments. Your radiation oncologist may suggest this radiosurgery for treatment of metastatic brain tumours and some primary brain tumours but may also be referred by your neurologist or neurosurgeon for treatment of neurologic disorders such as trigeminal neuralgia and vascular malformations.

Typical referrals will be for

  • Brain metastases
  • Meningioma
  • Schwannomas
  • Arterio-venous malformation
  • Functional gamma knife typically trigeminal neuralgia, ParkinsonS etc

Addressing the growing radiosurgery market, Icon makes Gamma Knife radiosurgery more flexible and easier to use, allowing more clinics to build a cranial radiosurgery programme.

We will be opening Gamma Knife units where patients can be referred, seen by both neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists accredited to this machine, and ultimately receive their treatments.

Visit Gamma Knife South Africa website

Download PDF about Leksell Gamma Knife Icon

FAQ

1How long does stereotaxis radiotherapy (SRT) take?
SRT is a specialised form of radiation treatment that uses highly accurate, computer-guided techniques to deliver high doses of radiation to a particular body location. It usually takes only a few treatment sessions to finish, usually between one to five, which are usually given over one to two weeks. In order to ensure accurate targeting of the radiation beams, each treatment session usually takes between 30 minutes and an hour.
2Is stereotaxis radiotherapy (SRT) painful?
Due to the non-invasive nature of the treatment and the fact that the patient is awake throughout the procedure, stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) is typically not painful. However, some patients may have slight discomfort or adverse effects during or after the treatment. Typically, minor and transient, these side effects can be controlled with medication(as prescribed by the Oncologist) or other forms of supportive care.
3How long does it take to heal from stereotaxis radiotherapy (SRT)?
After finishing SRT, most patients can return to their regular activities in a few days. Side effects of the treatment will subside 2 weeks after completion of treatment.