Powerful & Precise Revolutionary Tool
Northridge Hospital Medical Center (NHMC) is proud to be the first and only hospital in the San Fernando Valley to open a Gamma Knife Center. The state-of-the-art Gamma Knife Center is conveniently located on the hospital campus and provides a comfortable setting for patients and family. Physicians wishing to refer a patient are encouraged to contact NHMC's Gamma Knife Center at (818) 885-5432.
Gamma Knife gives new hope to patients who harbor historically inoperable diseases of the brain, such as multiple metastatic brain tumors, certain deep-seated solitary malignant and benign tumors, and recurrent trigeminal neuralgia. This safe and effective outpatient procedure involves little discomfort and patients recuperate in a few hours.
The Gamma Knife is not a knife at all. It is a technologically advanced stereotactic radiosurgical tool that focuses 201 beams of gamma raditation at the precise lesion or tumor in the brain. Available at less than 100 leading neurosurgical institutions in the nation the Gamma Knife is changing the way neurosurgery is performed. Patients avoid risks associated with standard open surgery, general anesthesia, a long hospital stay and rehabilitation, or even a single incision. Most patients return home the same day and return to their normal active lifestyles.
The success of the gamma Knife is unprecedented. A team that includes a neurosurgeon, radiation oncologist and physicist use 3D imaging, computer aided and robotic technology. Sophisticated imaging techniques are essential to mapping out treatment areas, so that healthy tissue is spared.
The
Gamma Knife's accuracy
- within less than three-tenths of a millimeter - makes this the technology of choice to safely treat certain disease of the brain. This is especially critical when nearby brain tissue is crucial for normal functioning of the patient.
As the pillar of the Neuroscience Institute at Northridge Hospital, the Gamma Knife Center is a revolution in brain surgery. The Neuroscience Institute encompasses:
We have prepared a general brochure on the Gamma Knife Center that you can download using the link on the right. If you are a prospective patient, or looking for more information on the Gamma Knife procedure, you can download our Patient Guide which explains what to expect before, during and after the procedure. For more information, please speak to your physician.
