Stereotactic Radiosurgery – Gamma Knife

Last updated: February 8, 2026Reviewed date: February 8, 2026Reading time: 5 min read

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Stereotactic radiotherapy; Stereotactic radiosurgery; SRT; Fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy; SRS; Gamma Knife; Gamma Knife radiosurgery; Non-invasive neurosurgery; Epilepsy - Gamma Knife Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a form of radiation therapy that focuses high-power energy on a small area of the body. Despite its name, radiosurgery is...

For severe symptoms, danger signs, pregnancy, child illness, or sudden worsening, seek urgent medical care.

বাংলা রোগী নোট এখনো যোগ করা হয়নি। পোস্ট এডিটরে “RX Bangla Patient Mode” বক্স থেকে সহজ বাংলা সারাংশ যোগ করুন।

এই তথ্য শিক্ষা ও সচেতনতার জন্য। এটি ডাক্তারি পরীক্ষা, রোগ নির্ণয় বা প্রেসক্রিপশনের বিকল্প নয়।

Article Summary

Key Takeaways

This article explains Description in simple medical language.
This article explains Why the Procedure Is Performed in simple medical language.
This article explains Risks in simple medical language.
This article explains Before the Procedure in simple medical language.

Educational health guideWritten for patient understanding and clinical awareness.

Reviewed content workflowUse writer and reviewer profiles for stronger trust.

Emergency safety firstUrgent warning signs are highlighted below.

Seek urgent medical care if you notice

These warning signs are general safety guidance. Local emergency numbers and clinical judgment should always come first.

Severe symptoms, breathing difficulty, fainting, confusion, or rapidly worsening illness.
New weakness, severe pain, high fever, or symptoms after a serious injury.
Any symptom that feels urgent, unusual, or unsafe for the patient.

Emergency now

Use emergency care for severe, sudden, rapidly worsening, or life-threatening symptoms.

See a doctor

Book a professional medical evaluation if symptoms persist, worsen, recur often, affect daily activities, or occur in a high-risk patient.

Learn safely

Use this article to understand possible causes, tests, treatment options, prevention, and questions to ask your clinician.

Stereotactic radiotherapy; Stereotactic radiosurgery; SRT; Fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy; SRS; Gamma Knife; Gamma Knife radiosurgery; Non-invasive neurosurgery; Epilepsy – Gamma Knife

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a form of radiation therapy that focuses high-power energy on a small area of the body.

Despite its name, radiosurgery is a treatment, not a surgical procedure. Incisions (cuts) are not made on your body.

More than one system is used to perform radiosurgery. This article is about Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

Description

Gamma Knife radiosurgery is done only for tumors and other medical problems of the head. For tumors and problems elsewhere in the body, other radiosurgery systems may be used.

Before treatment, you are fitted with a head frame. The frame is attached to your scalp. This is done using 4 small pins or anchors that go through your skin to the surface of your skull. Medicine is first given to numb the areas where the pins or anchors attach.

The frame keeps your head steady during treatment. It also helps your doctors ensure the energy beams are aimed at the exact spot in your head that needs treatment.

After the frame is attached to your head, imaging tests such as CT, MRI, or angiogram are done. The images show the exact location, size, and shape of your tumor or problem area.

During treatment:

You will not need to be put to sleep. The treatment does not cause pain.
You lie on a table that slides into a machine that delivers radiation.
The head frame is attached to a helmet that has many holes. The energy beams are delivered through these holes.
The machine may move your head so that the energy beams are delivered to the exact spots that need treatment.
The health care providers are in another room. They can see you on cameras and hear you and talk with you on microphones.

Each treatment takes a few minutes to 2 hours. You may receive more than one treatment session. Most often, no more than five sessions are needed.

Why the Procedure Is Performed

SRS targets and treats an abnormal area. This minimizes damage to nearby healthy tissue.

Gamma Knife radiosurgery is used to treat the following types of brain tumors:

Cancer that has spread (metastasized) to the brain from another part of the body
A slow-growing tumor of the nerve that connects the ear to the brain ( acoustic neuroma )
Pituitary tumors
Tumors that are not cancer (chordoma, meningioma)

Gamma Knife is also used to treat other problems of the brain:

Blood vessel problems ( arteriovenous malformation , arteriovenous fistula )
Some types of epilepsy
Trigeminal neuralgia (severe nerve pain of the face)
Severe tremors due to essential tremor or Parkinson disease

Risks

Radiosurgery may damage tissue around the area being treated. As compared to other types of radiation therapy, Gamma Knife treatment is much less likely to damage nearby healthy tissue.

Brain swelling may occur. Swelling usually goes away without treatment. Some people need medicine to control this swelling. In rare cases, surgery with incisions (open surgery) is needed to treat the brain swelling caused by the radiation.

The spots where the head frame is attached to your scalp may be red and sensitive after treatment. This should go away with time.

Before the Procedure

The day before your procedure:

DO NOT use any hair cream or hair spray.
DO NOT eat or drink anything after midnight unless told otherwise by your doctor.

The day of your procedure:

Wear comfortable clothing.
Bring your regular prescription medicines with you to the hospital.
DO NOT wear jewelry, makeup, nail polish, or a wig or hairpiece.
You will be asked to remove contact lenses, eyeglasses, and dentures.
You will change into a hospital gown.
An intravenous (IV) line will be placed into your arm to deliver contrast material, medicines, and fluids.

After the Procedure

Often, you can go home the day of treatment. Arrange ahead of time for someone to drive you home. You can go back to your regular activities the next day if there are no complications such as swelling. If you have complications, you may need to stay in the hospital overnight for monitoring.

Follow instructions for how to care for yourself at home .

Outlook (Prognosis)

The effects of Gamma Knife radiosurgery may take weeks or months to be seen. The prognosis depends on the condition being treated. Your provider will monitor your progress using imaging tests such as MRI and CT scans.

Safety note: This is not a prescription or diagnosis. For severe symptoms, pregnancy danger signs, children with serious illness, chest pain, breathing difficulty, stroke-like weakness, or major injury, seek urgent care.

Which doctor may help?

Start with a registered doctor or the nearest qualified health center.

What to tell the doctor

Write when the problem started and how it changed.
Bring old prescriptions, investigation reports, and current medicines.
Write allergies, pregnancy status, diabetes, kidney/liver disease, and major past illnesses.
Bring one family member if the patient is weak, elderly, confused, or a child.

Questions to ask

What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
Which danger signs mean I should go to hospital quickly?
Which tests are necessary now, and which can wait?
How should I take medicines safely and what side effects should I watch for?
When should I come for follow-up?

Tests to discuss

Vital signs: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen saturation
Basic physical examination by a clinician
CBC, urine test, blood sugar, or imaging only when clinically needed

Avoid these mistakes

Do not use antibiotics, steroid tablets/injections, or strong painkillers without proper medical advice.
Do not hide pregnancy, kidney disease, ulcer, allergy, or blood thinner use.
Do not delay emergency care when danger signs are present.

Medicine safety and first-aid guide

This section is for patient education only. It does not replace a doctor, pharmacist, or emergency care.

Safe first steps

Rest, drink safe water, and observe symptoms carefully.
Keep a written note of symptoms, duration, temperature, medicines already taken, and allergy history.
Seek medical care quickly if symptoms are severe, worsening, or unusual for the patient.

OTC medicine safety

For mild pain or fever, ask a registered pharmacist or doctor before using common over-the-counter pain/fever medicines.
Do not combine multiple pain medicines without advice, especially if you have kidney disease, liver disease, stomach ulcer, asthma, pregnancy, or take blood thinners.
Do not give adult medicines to children unless a qualified clinician advises it.

Avoid these mistakes

Do not start antibiotics without a proper medical decision.
Do not use steroid tablets or injections casually for quick relief.
Do not delay emergency care because of home remedies.

Get urgent help if

Severe symptoms, confusion, fainting, breathing difficulty, chest pain, severe dehydration, or sudden weakness need urgent medical care.

Medicine names, dose, and timing must be decided by a qualified clinician or pharmacist after checking age, pregnancy, allergy, other diseases, and current medicines.

For rural patients and family caregivers

Patient health record and symptom diary

Write your symptoms, medicines already taken, test results, and questions before visiting a doctor. This note stays on your device unless you print or copy it.

Doctor to discuss: Doctor / qualified healthcare provider

Tests to discuss with doctor

Basic vital signs: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen level if needed
Relevant blood, urine, imaging, or specialist tests only after clinical assessment

Questions to ask

What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
Which warning signs mean I should go to emergency care?
Which tests are really needed now?
Which medicines are safe for my age, pregnancy status, allergy, kidney/liver/stomach condition, and current medicines?

Emergency warning signs such as chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, sudden weakness, confusion, severe dehydration, major injury, or loss of bladder/bowel control need urgent medical care. Do not wait for online information.

Go to emergency care if you notice:

Severe or rapidly worsening symptoms
Breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting, confusion, severe weakness, major injury, or severe dehydration

Doctor / service to discuss: Qualified healthcare provider; specialist depends on symptoms and examination.

Step 1
Check danger signs first
If danger signs are present, seek emergency care and do not wait for online information.
Step 2
Record the symptom story
Write when symptoms started, severity, medicines already taken, allergies, pregnancy status, and test results.
Step 3
Visit a qualified clinician
A doctor, nurse, or qualified healthcare provider can examine you and decide which tests or treatment are needed.
Step 4
Do only useful tests
Do tests after clinical assessment. Avoid unnecessary tests, random antibiotics, or repeated medicines without diagnosis.
Step 5
Follow up and return early if worse
If symptoms worsen, new warning signs appear, or treatment is not helping, return for review quickly.

Rural patient practical tips

Take a written symptom diary and all previous prescriptions/test reports.
Do not hide medicines already taken, even herbal or over-the-counter medicines.
Ask which warning signs mean urgent referral to hospital.

This roadmap is for education. A real diagnosis and treatment plan requires history, examination, and clinical judgment.

RX Patient Help

Ask a health question safely

Write your symptom story. A health professional or site editor can review it before any answer is prepared. This box is not for emergency care.

Emergency first: Severe chest pain, breathing trouble, unconsciousness, stroke signs, severe injury, heavy bleeding, or rapidly worsening symptoms need urgent local medical care now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this article a replacement for a doctor?

No. It is educational content only. Patients should consult a qualified clinician for diagnosis and treatment.

When should I seek urgent care?

Seek urgent care for severe symptoms, rapidly worsening condition, breathing difficulty, severe pain, neurological changes, or any emergency warning sign.

References

Add references, clinical guidelines, textbooks, journal articles, or trusted medical sources here. You can edit this area from the RX Article Professional Blocks panel.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery – Gamma Knife

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