Patient Guide
Post Gamma Knife Treatment
Once the Gamma Knife treatment is complete, the Gamma Knife bed will return to the starting position. The Gamma Knife door will close, and your nurse and doctor will once again enter the room. The head frame will be removed, and each pin site will have a dressing applied where needed. You will be taken back to the hospital's Ambulatory Surgery Area for monitoring. If you have had an angiogram, you will need to lie flat in bed for eight hours. Some Gamma Knife patients may need to remain overnight in the hospital for continued observation. Immediate adverse side effects rarely occur and most patients are usually discharged from the hospital within 24 hours. Your neurosurgeon and Gamma Knife nurse will give you follow up care and special instructions.
As with any radiation treatment, the results are not immediately apparent. Gamma Knife treatment attempts to inhibit lesion enlargement, and shrinkage often occurs as early as four to six weeks after the procedure. Examinations by your neurosurgeon and imaging studies are part of routine after-treatment care to monitor the status of lesions and abnormalities.
Patient Guide
- What to expect during Gamma Knife treatment
- Attaching the stereotactic head frame
- Imaging
- Gamma Knife treatment planning
- Gamma Knife treatment
- Post Gamma Knife treatment
- How to Prepare Yourself for Gamma Knife Treatment
- Risks
- Scheduling
- Admissions
- Parking and Directions
View a printer-friendly version of the Memphis Regional Gamma Knife Center's complete Gamma Knife patient's guide.
