New-Generation Gamma Knives Allow For Brain Surgery Without Incisions

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Brain surgery for any reason can be a risky proposition, because it is hard not to damage normal brain tissue during an operation.

But what if surgeons could destroy abnormal brain growths without ever cutting into the brain? As CBS2's Dr. Max Gomez reported, a gamma knife can do just that.

Kristin Donofrio started having some unusual symptoms – numbness in her face, ear pressure, and hormonal changes.

"My eyesight was going bad in my left eye, and we jokingly called me a pirate around the house because I was constantly covering my left eye, and really more thinking that it was just age," Donofrio said.

But at just 46, it was not age. It was a benign tumor located deep in her brain.

"Surgery wasn't an option for me specifically, and nor was doing something like waiting it out, because it was progressing," she said.

So Kristin turned to a device called the gamma knife. It is not really a knife at all, but rather a way to deliver radiation extremely precisely.

Newer-generation gamma knives allow neurosurgeons to operate without an incision. A pinpoint, highly-concentrated dose of radiation is delivered to destroy anything in the target zone.

"It takes advantage of the ability to focus that radiation on very, very small areas within the brain. It is extremely accurate and it is extremely robust," said neurosurgeon Dr. Marcus Ware. "You can treat something that's bad while leaving whatever that's good right next to it intact."

The method allows treatment of malignant and benign brain tumors, some tremor diseases such as Parkinson's, dangerous blood vessel malformations, and irritated nerves that cause severe facial pain syndrome.

Often, patients need only one treatment.

"They said, 'You'll be in here for 39 minutes and then we'll be done,'" Donofrio said.

And over time, Donofrio's tumor will shrink.

The new-generation gamma knife is more accurate than previous versions, which means that radiation therapy is a viable option for those brain problems that would be too dangerous or damaging to operate because of their location in the brain.

Sometimes, the knife could be used to shrink certain problems to make it safer to remove with surgery.

Another way to deliver targeted radiation therapy is called the cyberknife, although most experts say the gamma knife is better for most brain tumors while the cyberknife works well outside the brain.