FAQs
Read our FAQs courtesy of Elekta
1. What is Leksell Gamma Knife® Icon™?
2. How does Icon treatment work?
3. Why Icon?
4. What makes Icon so different?
5. Will my head be shaved?
6. Does the treatment hurt?
7. What if I move during the treatment?
8. Am I alone during treatment?
9. Does the treatment leave me radioactive?
10. What conditions can be treated with Icon?
Icon can be used to treat a number of neurological disorders, including:
- Brain metastases (cancer that has spread to the brain)
- Recurrent gliomas (tumors that occur in the brain and spinal cord,
arising from the gluey supportive tissue of the brain) - Benign tumors such as meningiomas, which begin in the membranes
surrounding the brain and spinal cord - Acoustic neuromas (vestibular schwannomas), noncancerous growths
that develop on the hearing and balance nerves near the inner ear - Post-surgical pituitary tumors
- Vascular malformations such as arteriovenous malformations (AVMs)
- Functional disorders such as trigeminal neuralgia, a chronic condition
causing severe facial pain - Medication-refractory tremor.
11. What are the benefits?
12. Am I a candidate for Icon treatment?
Many variables are considered to determine your treatment options, including your medical history and general health, clinical examination findings, and diagnostic imaging, which may include computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and/or positron emission tomography (PET) scans.
Icon may benefit patients with lesions that are hard to reach or in a functionally critical area of the brain. Patients who are not candidates for other treatment approaches due to age or medical condition may be candidates for treatment with Icon. Icon may be prescribed in conjunction with surgery, other forms of radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy.
13. What are the side effects?
Gamma Knife radiosurgery is so precise that minimal damage occurs to healthy tissues surrounding the treatment target. There may actually be a lower risk of side effects than with other types of radiation therapy. Be sure to discuss potential side effects with your physician. Potential risks and side effects may include:
- For frame treatments, there may be tenderness where the
frame was secured to the head - Nausea and vomiting
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Hair loss in the treatment area.
For more information please visit www.gammaknife.com