Gamma knife radiosurgery: a patient-friendly procedure.
Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) is a minimally invasive neurosurgical procedure used to treat a variety of cranial lesions and disorders. Gamma Knife surgery technology and conditions treated are discussed in this paper. The patient experiences during the treatment phases are also reviewed. The incision-free technology was introduced by Lars Leksell and Bjorn Larson in 1967 in Europe, and has been available in the United States since 1987 (Ganz, 1997). Gamma Knife surgery has expanded internationally with over 170 sites worldwide treating over 250,000 patients using focused beams of Cobalt-60 radiation. Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre opened the first Canadian Gamma Knife centre in November 2003.
Nesbitt
Janice
J
Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba. jnesbitt@hsc.mb.ca
D000359:Aftercare / Q000379:methods; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000379:methods; D001294:Attitude to Health; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing; D016634:Radiosurgery / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed