What is the Gamma Knife procedure?

According to the Mayo Clinic, Gamma Knife radiosurgery is an alternative treatment for traditional brain surgery. Gamma Knife therapy provides radiation directly to the tumor without a physical incision to the skull.

In this kind of radiosurgery, nearly 200 beams of radiation are targeted on the problem area in the brain, explains the Mayo Clinic. While each beam causes only a minimal effect on brain tissue it passes through, the point at which the beams meet delivers a strong dose of radiation on the tumor. Gamma Knife radiosurgery can be completed in one day and is the preferred method when a tumor is in a particularly difficult-to-reach place or the patient is not in good enough health to undergo traditional brain surgery.