Part 3 - Lisa Connell - Gamma Knife Radiotherapy - The Treatment

Lisa Connell was given a total of 3.5 hours of radiotherapy.

Imaging:

With the frame in place, the patient undergoes MRI or other imaging studies to precisely determine the position of the lesion within a coordinate field.These localization coordinates are entered into the Gamma Knife's three-dimensional computer planning program.

The Treatment:

Once planning is complete, the patient is moved to the treatment room that houses the Gamma Unit. The apparatus is composed of a moveable couch and a hemispherical radiation unit containing 201 sources of cobalt-60. For patient and team safety, the unit is heavily shielded. The Gamma Unit is FDA approved and meets the safety standards of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The patient is placed on the couch and positioned into the collimator helmet. The stereotactic frame is still in place, immobilizing the patient's head to ensure a safe, accurate procedure. After the patient is properly aligned on the couch, the team enters the adjacent control room to administer the treatment, observing the procedure via video monitors. Two-way microphone communication between the team and the patient is ongoing.

The couch slides the patient into the unit for exposure. During treatment, the helmet's 201 ports will focus the unit's carefully collimated gamma rays to converge simultaneously and precisely at the target tumor, with accuracy within 0.1 millimeter. The arrangement of radiation sources and the exacting collimation ensure minimal exposure to surrounding tissue. The total length of treatment is related to the size and location of the lesion.

At the end of the treatment, the couch automatically slides the patient from the unit and the stereotactic frame is removed. No special recovery is required; the patient is returned immediately to his or her hospital room. Treatment-day side effects are rare; some mild nausea may be experienced immediately after treatment, and some patients feel discomfort or headache due to removal of the frame. Observation continues for a short period, and the patient usually goes home the same day. Most Patients are able to return to their usual daily routine immediately upon discharge.

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• lisa connell
• brain cancer
• brain tumour
• brain tumor
• radiotherapy
• gamma knife