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 Frequently Asked Questions
1) What is Gamma Knife radiosurgery?
2) How do I make an appointment to be seen at the Illinois Gamma Knife Center?
3) Where is the Illinois Gamma Knife Center Located?
4) Is Gamma Knife radiosurgery an inpatient or an outpatient procedure?
5) What can I expect on the day of my Gamma Knife procedure?
6) What are some of the conditions treated by Gamma Knife radiosurgery?
7) How do I prepare for the day of Radiosurgery?
8) What, exactly, will happen on the day of Radiosurgery?
9) What will happen during the test or procedure?
1) What is Gamma Knife radiosurgery?
The Gamma Knife is a treatment unit designed to deliver a highly conformal dose of radiation therapy to intracranial sites using 201 convergent beams emanating from cobalt-60 radiation sources. The Gamma Knife was invented by Drs. Leksell and Larson and the first clinical work was done in 1967 at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. Since that time, thousands of patients have been treated with Gamma Knife radiosurgery and significant research has been done on the safe and effective application of stereotactic radiosurgery for the treatment of several intracranial conditions.
Gamma knife radiosurgery is not surgery and no surgeon’s scalpel is used. Instead, Gamma Knife radiosurgery utilizes the latest innovations in imaging and software to enable your doctors to deliver a single dose of radiation therapy like a “virtual or radiation therapy knife” in order to treat neurological conditions without surgically entering the skull. The 201 convergent radiation therapy beams are collimated and conformed to form a 3-dimensional treatment plan customized to the patient’s intracranial treatment site. This ability to accurately and safely treat disorders inside the skull without a scalpel or a surgical incision limits side-effects and there is no need for a hospital stay. In fact, most Gamma Knife radiosurgery is done as an outpatient procedure requiring no more than a few hours of total time at the center.
The Illinois Gamma Knife Center has the latest model C Gamma Knife unit. This unit gives your doctors the option of using the Automatic Positioning System (APS) with robotic technology. The APS significantly shortens the treatment time by robotically moving the patient’s head to the proper position as outlined by the treatment plan, allowing for more efficient and accurate delivery of Gamma Knife radiosurgery.
The Gamma Knife uses a multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of every patient. Your Gamma Knife team will typically consist of a neurosurgeon, radiation oncologist, physicist, and nurse working together to make your treatment as safe and effective as possible.
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2) How do I make an appointment to be seen at the Illinois Gamma Knife Center?
Contact the Illinois Gamma Knife Center at (847) 956-5428.
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3) Where is the Illinois Gamma Knife Center Located?
Map & Directions
Directions to the Illinois Gamma Knife Center
at Alexian Brothers Medical Center
800 Biesterfield Road
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
From the North, using I-290/Rt.53 head south to the Biesterfield Road Exit; make a left onto Biesterfield Road and travel east about one quarter mile. Alexian Brothers Medical Center is located on the left hand side (north) of Biesterfield Road. Make a left (north) onto Leicester Road, which is the new entrance to Alexian Brothers Medical Center. Parking is available either in the parking garage on the right or in the parking lot on the left across from the entrance in between the Wimmer Medical Office Building and the Eberle Medical Office Building. The Illinois Gamma Knife Center door is located near the Eberle Building elevators.
From the South, using I-355 head north to the Biesterfield Road Exit (I-355 turns into Rt. 53, Rt. 53 turns into I-290); make a right on Biesterfield Road and travel east about one quarter mile. Alexian Brothers Medical Center is located on the left hand side (north) of Biesterfield Road. Make a left (north) onto Leicester Road, which is the new entrance to Alexian Brothers Medical Center. Parking is available either in the parking garage on the right or in the parking lot on the left across from the entrance in between the Wimmer Medical Office Building and the Eberle Medical Office Building. The Illinois Gamma Knife Center door is located near the Eberle Building elevators.
From the East, using I-290 head west toward Rockford (I-290 merges with Rt. 53) to the Biesterfield Road Exit; make a right on Biesterfield Road and travel east about one quarter mile. Alexian Brothers Medical Center is located on the left hand side (north) of Biesterfield Road. Make a left (north) onto Leicester Road, which is the new entrance to Alexian Brothers Medical Center. Parking is available either in the parking garage on the right or in the parking lot on the left across from the entrance in between the Wimmer Medical Office Building and the Eberle Medical Office Building. The Illinois Gamma Knife Center door is located near the Eberle Building elevators.
From the West, using the Elgin O'Hare Expressway head east until the Expressway turns into Thorndale Avenue; continue on Thorndale Avenue staying to the right; make a right onto I-290 heading west to Rockford. When exiting stay to the right of the Expressway, the Biesterfield Road Exit is about one mile north and exits to the right. Make a right onto Biesterfield Road and travel east about one quarter mile. Alexian Brothers Medical Center is located on the left hand side (north) of Biesterfield Road. Make a left (north) onto Leicester Road, which is the new entrance to Alexian Brothers Medical Center. Parking is available either in the parking garage on the right or in the parking lot on the left across from the entrance in between the Wimmer Medical Office Building and the Eberle Medical Office Building. The Illinois Gamma Knife Center door is located near the Eberle Building elevators.
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Illinois Gamma Knife Center
Alexian Brothers Medical Center
800 Biesterfield Road
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Phone: 847.956.5428
Fax: 847.956.5439
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4) Is Gamma Knife radiosurgery an inpatient or an outpatient procedure?
In the overwhelming majority of cases, Gamma Knife radiosurgery is an outpatient procedure competed within a few hours of the patient’s arrival at the Illinois Gamma Knife Center.
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5) What can I expect on the day of my Gamma Knife procedure?
The entire Gamma Knife radiosurgery procedure is usually completed within a few hours on an outpatient basis. Close communication is established between the patient, their families, and staff at the Illinois Gamma Knife Center well ahead of the day of the procedure. Detailed instructions will be provided to you before your day of Gamma Knife radiosurgery.
You will likely arrive early in the morning to the Illinois Gamma Knife Center. You will be greeted by staff at the Illinois Gamma Knife Center and change into a hospital gown. Your neurosurgeon will then place a stereotactic head frame. A local anesthetic medication is injected into the scalp prior to frame placement to minimize discomfort. Most patients report a pressure sensation at the four pin sites on the scalp while the frame is being placed. The pressure sensation usually resolves within a few minutes of frame placement.
After the frame has been placed, stereotactic brain imaging consisting of MRI, CT, and/or angiography is usually performed on the morning of Gamma Knife radiosurgery. Your doctors will select the imaging modality that is most appropriate for your condition.
After the imaging is performed, your multidisciplinary Illinois Gamma Knife Center team consisting of a neurosurgeon, a radiation oncologist, and a physicist will create a customized and conformal plan to deliver your Gamma Knife radiosurgery treatment. The members of the multidisciplinary team each contribute to the planning process and each reviews and approves the plan before radiation therapy is delivered.
Once the plan has been approved, it is time to deliver the treatment. You will be assisted into the Gamma Knife unit by your doctors and nursing staff at the Illinois Gamma Knife Center. Your will lie horizontally on your back on the treatment couch and your head frame will be connected to the Gamma Knife unit. While the treatment is being delivered, the Gamma Knife staff will leave the room. However, your doctors will be monitoring your throughout the treatment using cameras and microphones from outside the room, and you will be able to speak with your doctors during the treatment. Fortunately, the Illinois Gamma Knife Center has the latest Model C unit with the automated positioning system (APS). The APS guides the patient’s head to the correct treatment position, allowing for a more efficient and accurate delivery of Gamma Knife radiosurgery.
After the treatment is completed, the head frame is removed. You will be greeted by your family and be offered a snack in the waiting area. Typically, patients go home within a few hours of arriving at the Illinois Gamma Knife Center. You will be provided with follow-up instructions before departing from the Illinois Gamma Knife Center.
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6) What are some of the conditions treated by Gamma Knife radiosurgery?
These are the conditons we currently treat at IGKC. Click on a condition for more information.
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7) How do I prepare for the day of Radiosurgery?
Don't eat or drink anything after midnight the night before the procedure. However, you can take your regular medications with a sip of water. You will not be allowed to wear jewelry, eyeglasses, contact lenses, dentures or wigs during the procedure.
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8) What, exactly, will happen on the day of Radiosurgery?
Once you arrive at the Gamma Knife Center, you are given a mild sedative (children are often completely anesthetized). Shortly after that time, a box-shaped head frame is attached to your head with four screws (two in front and two in back). The key to the gamma-knife's precision lies in this box-shaped frame. The frame serves two purposes: 1. It will hold your head perfectly still when radiation is given. 2. The frame acts as a reference point in determining exactly where the beams of radiation should converge.
The four spots on your scalp where the screws enter are numbed first with injections containing an anesthetic similar to that used by dentists. Your hair will not be shaved, but it may be tied back into a ponytail if it is long. The head-frame is lightweight, so you will be able to move your head around after the frame is attached to your skull.
Once the head-frame is attached, you'll undergo imaging scans (MRI or CT) to locate the exact area inside your skull that needs treatment. Even though you may have had similar scans before, these scans must be repeated with the head-frame in place.
A transparent plastic box is attached to the head-frame for the imaging scans. This box has special material in it that acts as localizer when the physicians plan the necessary radiation configuration used for treatment.
After the imaging scans are taken, it may take an hour or more for the targeting plan to be computed. During this waiting period, you will be taken to an area in the Gamma Knife Center where you can relax.
When it is time for the treatment, you will lie down in the treatment room and your head will be put into a helmet. The helmet attaches to your head-frame, which keeps your head perfectly still so the radiation beams will converge on their target and not on the healthy tissue surrounding it.
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9) What will happen during the test or procedure?
The helmet will not cover your face and you will not feel the radiation. There is no noise during the treatment.
The number of minutes that each radiation dose lasts is determined during the dose planning. Treatment usually includes multiple doses. Sometimes, more than one type of helmet and head position is used to deliver the radiation.
The head-frame stays on your head through the entire procedure. When the frame is removed, the places on your scalp where the screws entered may be a little tender, but they typically don't scar. You may have a headache or feel nauseated for a few hours after the procedure.
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