Ethan Rhodes
Duke University Hospital is a nationally ranked cancer program and one of the top medical institutions in the country. The hospital offers a range of radiation therapy treatments for cancer and other conditions. Duke University Hospital does not have a Gamma Knife, a machine that delivers a single, high dose of radiation with minimal damage to surrounding tissue. However, Duke offers stereotactic radiosurgery, which is performed over 400 times a year at Duke and treats small tumours and abnormalities in the brain and body using high doses of radiation. Duke also offers image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), which improves the accuracy of radiation delivery, and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), which treats tumours outside the brain, including in the lung, liver, or spine.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Does Duke Hospital have a gamma knife? | No |
| Hospitals that have a gamma knife | Baptist Hospital, Wake Forest University Hospital, UVA, Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, UCSF Health |
| Gamma Knife procedure | Used to precisely target specific areas in the brain, a technique known as stereotactic radiosurgery |
| Gamma Knife treatment | Used to treat small tumors and tiny areas of abnormal tissue without harming healthy tissue |
| Side effects | Mild headache |
What You'll Learn
Gamma Knife Surgery at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta
Gamma Knife Surgery is a minimally invasive procedure that treats tumours and vascular abnormalities within the brain with intersecting beams of radiation therapy. The procedure eliminates the need for traditional open neurosurgery. During the procedure, doctors use imaging guidance to pinpoint the exact location of the tumour or lesion for precise delivery of radiation energy. The individual beams are too weak to harm the brain tissue that they pass through and are only effective at the specific location where all the beams meet. The gamma knife radiosurgery procedure is performed in one day on an outpatient basis, with patients typically able to return home the same day.
Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta installed the fourth Gamma Knife unit in North America over 20 years ago and has had continuous experience in using this device ever since. The hospital has used the Gamma Knife procedure to treat brain tumours, arteriovenous malformations, acoustic neuromas/schwannomas, trigeminal neuralgia, and other abnormalities within the brain.
Gamma Knife Surgery has also been used to treat Parkinson's Disease. A forum user mentions that their friend's dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and was considering Gamma Knife Surgery at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta. The user adds that they have not had personal experience with Parkinson's Disease but that their friend mentioned that his dad was experiencing embarrassment when going out to dinner due to spilling food on his shirt and having trouble chewing and swallowing. Another forum user responds that the Gamma Knife procedure could be a reasonable way to treat Parkinson's Disease. They add that the procedure is not curative and that there are considerations regarding the costs and benefits of the surgery. The user also mentions that the use of the Gamma Knife for Parkinson's Disease is still in the experimental stages, with research being conducted on rats at Brown University.
It is important to note that while Gamma Knife Surgery has been performed at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, it is not the only hospital with this capability. Other hospitals mentioned in the forums that have a Gamma Knife include Baptist Hospital, Wake Forest University Hospital, and the hospital at UVA.
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Gamma Knife at Baptist Hospital, Wake Forest University
Duke University Hospital is one of the top medical institutions in the country. However, it does not have a Gamma Knife.
On the other hand, Baptist Hospital, Wake Forest University's hospital, does have a Gamma Knife. The Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center has one of the most active Gamma Knife centers in the US, with one of the most experienced Gamma Knife treatment teams. The Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ machine is the most accurate and advanced radiosurgery technology available. It uses 3-D positioning tools to deliver a dose of radiation at a precise location.
Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a convenient alternative to traditional neurosurgery and radiation therapy. It is an outpatient procedure that treats brain tumors and other brain disorders with a minimally invasive approach. The Gamma Knife machine directs focused beams of radiation into the brain. These beams come from multiple directions and intersect at the desired area of destruction, which is mapped with an MRI.
The Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has been performing Gamma Knife radiosurgery for many years, with one source stating since 1999. It is one of the few medical centers funded by the National Cancer Institute to conduct brain cancer research using innovative therapies. The center is also one of the top hospitals in the country for the procedure, with more than 550 patients receiving treatment annually.
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Gamma Knife at UVA
UVA Hospital is equipped with a Gamma Knife, a radiosurgery tool that treats brain tumours and abnormalities by delivering high doses of radiation to targeted areas. This technology uses multiple radiation beams that intersect at the desired area of destruction, which is mapped with an MRI. This procedure prevents damage to healthy tissue along the path of the beam.
Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a precise and effective treatment for cancer patients, with UVA Hospital offering comprehensive care and support to patients and their families. The procedure is well-tolerated and has shown success in treating brain tumours, with patients showing improvement after several months of treatment.
While Duke University Hospital is a top-ranked cancer program, offering exceptional care and advanced radiation therapies, they do not possess a Gamma Knife. Duke offers stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to treat brain lesions and tumours outside the brain, respectively. These techniques use precise patient positioning and accurate radiation delivery to target tumours with minimal damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
Duke's SRS treatments are delivered by state-of-the-art technology, such as the Novalis TX and Varian TrueBeam STX linear accelerators, allowing for precise, speedy, and comfortable treatment. Duke performs over 400 complex SRS procedures annually, treating various tumour types, including metastatic lesions from breast, lung, melanoma, or renal cell cancer. Duke's radiation oncologists are skilled and experienced, capable of treating patients with large, numerous, rare, or complex tumours.
Both UVA and Duke Hospitals offer advanced cancer treatments, utilising precise radiation technologies to target tumours effectively. While UVA employs the Gamma Knife system, Duke specialises in SRS and SBRT techniques, offering alternative effective options for cancer care.
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Duke neurosurgeon Dr. Dennis Turner
Duke Hospital does not have a gamma knife. However, Dr. Dennis Turner is a neurosurgeon at Duke Health who specializes in movement disorders and Parkinson's disease. Dr. Turner has been practising for over 20 years and has been at Duke for more than 25 of those years. He treats spine and movement disorders and enjoys seeing his patients benefit from procedures that improve their quality of life. He also values the integration of research into clinical practice and learning how research can benefit future generations.
Dr. Turner is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the Durham, North Carolina area, including Duke University Hospital and Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He received his medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine.
Duke Health providers are part of Duke's physician network, which includes doctors and providers at primary and specialty clinics throughout North Carolina and Virginia. Duke University Hospital is proud of its team and the exceptional care they provide. Their cancer program is nationally ranked and is the highest-ranked program in North Carolina, according to U.S. News & World Report for 2024–2025.
Duke Health offers stereotactic radiosurgery, a radiation technique that uses precise patient positioning and accurate radiation delivery to treat brain lesions. This procedure can treat many types of brain tumours and is performed over 400 times a year at Duke. It can also be used to treat other brain abnormalities, such as arteriovenous malformation and trigeminal neuralgia.
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Gamma Knife research at Brown University
The Gamma Knife Center at Rhode Island Hospital is one of the first gamma knife centres in the United States. It offers an enhanced level of precision and care for certain types of brain tumours or vascular malformations of the brain. Areas of the brain previously inaccessible are now treatable. Over 700,000 patients worldwide have undergone gamma knife surgery, with one source stating the number as over one million.
Research at Brown University has involved scientists using the Gamma Knife on rats with Parkinson's. This research has fed into the notion that this is still experimental.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Duke Hospital does not have a gamma knife. However, they do have a neurosurgeon, Dr. Dennis Turner, who specializes in movement disorders and Parkinson's disease.
A gamma knife is a machine that delivers a single, high dose of radiation to its target while causing little to no damage to the surrounding tissue.
The gamma knife uses gamma rays, a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation, to target specific areas of the body. It is considered a good option for children and women of childbearing age due to its low radiation exposure.
The gamma knife procedure is used to precisely target specific areas in the brain to treat small tumors and tiny areas of abnormal tissue without harming healthy tissue. It is also used for brain disorders such as arteriovenous malformations, epilepsy, and trigeminal neuralgia.
You may experience some side effects after the procedure, such as a mild headache, which can be treated with medication. A nurse will call you the following day to check on you and answer any questions.
