Gamma Knife: Revolutionizing Brain Surgery
The Gamma Knife, first utilized in 1967 in Sweden and later in the United States in 1984, has become a recognized and widely used technology worldwide. In Turkey, it was first implemented in 1997 at the Brain and Spine Center of Göztepe Medical Park Hospital Complex by Prof. Dr. Türker Kılıç, the Dean of BAU Medical Faculty, and his team.
Navigation
The seamless integration of various technological systems in the operating room is vital for successful brain surgery. The simultaneous use of intraoperative MR, navigation, ultrasound, and Gamma Knife techniques is crucial. Utilizing these methods before, during, and after surgery aids in comprehensive and rapid imaging, ensuring the success of brain surgeries.
In the navigation system, the patient’s preoperative images, obtained from MR scans, are used during surgery. These images provide essential anatomical and physiological information, such as the location of speech centers, in real-time. Before the surgery, the patient’s MR images are transferred to the navigation tool. This real-time navigation allows surgeons to identify critical areas in the patient’s brain and plan the surgery accordingly.
Tomotherapy
Tomotherapy, available at Medical Park Bahçelievler Hospital Oncology Department, offers personalized treatments tailored for various types of radiation oncology patients. This cutting-edge device precisely locates tumors before each treatment, ensuring accurate radiation dosage that precisely targets the tumor while minimizing exposure to healthy tissues.
Tomotherapy enables the simultaneous irradiation of multiple tumor sites, such as multiple liver or bone metastases, a feat not possible with conventional radiotherapy devices. Its advantages include:
Targeted Treatment: Precisely targets the affected area.
Reduced Side Effects: Minimizes radiation exposure to healthy tissues, leading to fewer side effects.
Possibility of Re-irradiation: Allows for re-treatment when necessary.
Time Efficiency: Streamlines the treatment process, saving time.
Clinical Excellence: Allows for highly tailored dose distributions in planning and implementation.
Patient-Centric Approach
Provides “customized” and “personalized” treatments for every patient.
Assists in reducing side effects by preserving more normal tissues.
Enhances comfort by simplifying scheduling within traditional time frames.
Enables treatments not possible with traditional linear accelerators.
Facilitates rapid and flexible treatment planning for each patient.
Enhances “quality” and “safety,” increasing overall efficiency.
Techniques Applicable with Tomotherapy
Radiosurgery
Back treatment
Intensity-modulated radiotherapy
3D-conformal treatment
Image-guided radiotherapy
Adaptive radiotherapy