What should you know about gamma knife procedure?

The team first reviews imaging and creates a treatment plan. Your head is kept in the planned position with a frame or a custom mask. Further imaging may confirm the target and its relationship to sensitive structures. The machine then delivers shaped radiation beams from different directions so they meet at the planned point.

You may hear the equipment move, but the treatment itself does not require an incision into the brain. A nurse can communicate with you during the session. The length and number of visits depend on the target and the plan. The effect is assessed later rather than judged immediately in the treatment room.

Follow the centre’s instructions about food, drink and medicines. Tell the team about blood thinners, allergies, pregnancy, seizures, anxiety in enclosed spaces and any implanted device. Wear comfortable clothing and arrange an escort if sedation is used. Afterward, follow wound or skin-care instructions and take prescribed medicines as directed.

Your clinician may compare this option with [Brain Tumour Surgery](/treatments/surgical-oncology/brain-tumour-surgery/) or [Whole Brain Radiotherapy](/treatments/radiation-oncology/whole-brain-radiotherapy/), depending on the disease pattern.

Seek urgent help for a seizure lasting longer than advised by your care team, sudden weakness, severe confusion, collapse, or a sudden change in speech or vision. Contact the centre for persistent vomiting, a worsening headache, fever, or bleeding, redness or discharge around a frame site.

Will I have a frame or mask? How many visits are planned? Which medicines should I take that morning? What will recovery feel like, and when is my first scan?