Gamma Knife treatment for epilepsy

The Gamma Knife system at Indiana University Hospital is an advanced tool to direct radiation treatment at precise locations to treat such difficult problems as brain tumors. Now IU researchers are testing whether the same machine can effectively treat patients with difficult cases of epilepsy.

Perhaps 20 percent of epilepsy patients have seizures that aren't controlled by medication and would likely benefit from surgery. As part of a national trial, scientists at IU are testing the Gamma Knife on about 10 patients to determine what would be the most effective dose to treat, and hopefully eliminate, epileptic seizures.

If it's effective, the Gamma Knife will offer epilepsy patients an alternative that reduces the risks of that go along with an invasive procedure, and one which has a short recovery time. Patients wear a special "helmet" that directs the radiation beams to very precise locations in the brain, so that the targeted tissue is affected, but surrounding tissue is left alone.

Resources

Read more about the Gamma Knife treatments at Indiana University School of Medicine.