Best Gamma Knife Radiosurgery Doctors in India
Best Gamma Knife Radiosurgery Hospitals in India
Hospital Highlights:
- Apollo Hospitals is a private healthcare group in India, with its headquarters based in Chennai. Established in 1983 by Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, the group offers a wide range of medical treatments and services across various specialties.
- It is renowned for emphasizing innovation and utilizing cutting-edge medical technologies into patient treatment.
- Known as India’s first corporate hospital, Apollo Hospitals is often credited for pioneering the private healthcare revolution in the country.
- With clinics and hospitals located all throughout India, Apollo Hospitals is a nationwide healthcare organization. Its presence can also be found in foreign countries.
- Preventive health examinations, medical and surgical treatment, and diagnostic centres are just a few of the services that the Apollo group provides.
- The group has several centres of expertise, including Cardiac Sciences, Neurosciences, Orthopedics, Emergency Care, Cancer Care, and Organ Transplantation.
- City: Chennai, India
Hospital Highlights:
- RIMC is a multi-specialty hospital in a sprawling area of 36 acres located in Chromepet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
- The facility has 450 beds including 130 critical care beds, 9 operating rooms, modern reference laboratories and radiology services, and is conveniently located near road, rail and air transportation.
- RIMC is led and managed by world-renowned physicians committed to healthcare.
- RIMC offers the broadest range of clinical care, education, and research. The hospital offers state-of-the-art technology and modern treatment facilities designed to provide health care at an affordable cost.
- Rela Institute is driven by patient needs, comfort and confidence.
- City: New Delhi, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Fortis Hospital in Shalimar Bagh is a multi-super specialty hospital that strives to provide world-class patient care by leaving no stone unturned.
- Fortis, Shalimar Bagh, with 262 beds and a 7.34-acre footprint, provides the best level of medical care through its team of doctors, nurses, technicians, and management professionals.
- City: Bengaluru, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Established in 2007, the Apollo Hospitals Bangalore is a 300-bed multispecialty hospital situated in Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore.
- Equipped with the state-of-the-art technology, it is a leading hospital dedicated to providing healthcare needs to patients with compassion and expertise.
- It is the first hospital to have completed the highest number of Robot Assisted Heart Surgeries in India.
- Over the years, it has successfully conducted some of the rarest medical procedures such as spinal angiolipoma excision, autologous chondrocyte implantations, and tibial tuberosity shift with MPSL reconstruction.
- The Apollo Hospitals Bangalore has the reputation of performing the greatest series of airway stents in the country.
- Additionally, the hospital is known for providing comprehensive treatment in specialties such as gastroenterology, urology, gynecology, oncology, colorectal surgery, etc.
- The “The Minimal Access Surgery Centre” (MASC), one of Apollo Hospitals, Bangalore’s premier Centres of Excellence, is devoted to the use of minimally invasive surgical procedures.
- In 2013, THE WEEK-A C Nielsen, Best Hospital Survey ranked Apollo Hospitals Bangalore as the 2nd best multi-speciality hospital in Bangalore.
- City: Mumbai, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Gleneagles Global Hospital The 450-bed facility comprises of 17-stories, housing state-of-the-art infrastructure, and advanced medical care facilities.
- The hospital offers end-to-end clinical, surgical, and diagnostic services. It is equipped with a team of eminent medical professionals aided by qualified nurses and medical staff
- The Hospital offers advanced Endoscopic procedures, Hepatobiliary and Liver Surgeries, Surgical and Medical Gastroenterology, Bariatric Surgery, and Robotic surgery.
- The hospital is a center of excellence for Orthopedics, Joint Replacement, Knee Replacement, and Hip Replacement surgery.
- City: Hyderabad, India
Hospital Highlights:
- CARE Hospitals were established in the year 2000, by CARE Group.
- The multispecialty hospital has 435 beds, including 120 critical care beds, with an annual inflow of 180000 outpatients and 16,000 in-patients.
- The hospital provides specialty medical services in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Pediatric Cardiology, Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Nephrology, and Urology.
- The hospital has the first dual source, 128 slice CT scanner (for high precision cardiac imaging) – the first of its kind in south India.
- The hospital offers a wide range of accommodation facilities for the convenience of its varied patient base, ranging from general wards to super deluxe rooms.
- City: Mumbai, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Fortis Hospital in Mulund is a 315-bed multi-speciality tertiary care hospital with five JCI accreditations that offers a wide variety of diagnostic and treatment services. The Fortis Hospital in Mulund delivers patient-centred treatment with cutting-edge technology, highly skilled and experienced surgeons, and paramedical staff.
- This institution houses Maharashtra’s largest multi-organ transplant centre. It is also the first heart transplant centre in western India to conduct 100 or more consecutive heart transplants in under four years. It is the only hospital in the city to have multi-organ transplants and has handled the youngest patient for angioplasty. Fortis Hospital Mulund now boasts the first advanced surgical robot in central Mumbai.
- Cardiology and heart surgery, urology, nephrology, neurosciences, orthopaedics, digestive care, emergency and critical care, and maternity care are among the services provided by the hospital.
- City: New Delhi, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka, is a super-specialty hospital in Dwarka, New Delhi, which is a part of Manipal Hospitals Group.
- The hospital aims to provide the best treatment on par with international standards at a fraction of the cost.
- Equipped with 380 beds, the hospital is also one of the new age hospitals which are equipped fully with state-of-the-art infrastructure, cutting-edge technology as well as the latest and advanced clinical practices. The hospital also has 13 modular Operation theatres with 118 beds which are solely meant for critical care.
- The hospital comprises internationally acclaimed doctors and highly professional and experienced hospital and medical staff who are able to provide preventive, therapeutic, and diagnostic services all under one roof.
- City: Chennai, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Located in Chennai, India, MGM Healthcare is a top multispecialty hospital that provides all medical services under one roof.
- Since its founding in 2019, MGM Healthcare has quickly become a leading national referral centre, creating several innovative flagship initiatives.
- MGM Healthcare combines next-generation medical and digital technologies to provide better patient results.
- With 12 centres of excellence, more than 400 inpatient beds, 100 intensive care unit beds, and 24/7 emergency care, MGM Healthcare leaves no chance in redefining the patient experience in Chennai.
- MGM Healthcare boasts 250+ expert doctors across 30+ departments, including Cardiology, Pulmonology, Neurology, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and more.
- They house 12 specialized Centres of Excellence, including Neurosciences, Orthopaedics, and Multi-Organ Transplantation.
- Their team of doctors, nurses, and paramedics works together to give every patient individualized treatment.
Hospital Highlights:
- Lilavati Hospital & Research Centre is India’s premier multi-speciality tertiary care hospital and has been recognised as a global medical excellence centre.
- Lilavati Hospital & Research Centre has built an unrivalled level of trust with its patients over the years, thanks to a solid foundation that comprises cutting-edge facilities, the best medical competence, research, education, and charity endeavours.
- The hospital is quite proud of the fact that it now serves patients from all kinds of backgrounds, not just from the United States but from all around the world.
- The hospital has a total of 323 beds, one of the largest Intensive Care Units (ICUs), 12 Operation Theatres with modern amenities, over 300 consultants, and almost 1,800 personnel.
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery
Purpose
Gamma Knife radiosurgery is considered a safer alternative to standard brain surgery i.e. neurosurgery. Standard brain surgery requires incisions in the scalp, an opening in the skull as well as the membranes surrounding the brain. Then your surgeon needs to dissect into the brain tissue. However, these steps are not required with gamma knife radiosurgery.
Gamma Knife radiosurgery is considered when a tumor or other abnormality in the brain is difficult to reach with standard neurosurgery. It is also preferred by patients by aren’t healthy enough to undergo standard surgery or by patients who prefer a lesser invasive treatment.
In some cases, Gamma Knife radiosurgery has a lower risk of side effects as compared to other types of radiation therapies. Compared to conventional radiation therapy which requires up to 30 days of treatment, gamma knife radiosurgery can be completed in a single day.
This procedure is most usually used to treat the following conditions-
Brain tumor: Gamma knife radiosurgery is quite useful in the management of small noncancerous and cancerous brain tumors.
Radiosurgery can damage the genetic material in the tumor cells. These cells lose their ability to reproduce and thus they die leading to the tumor to gradually shrink.
Arteriovenous malformation (AVM): AVMs are abnormal tangles of veins and arteries in the brain. In an AVM, blood flows from the arteries to the veins, bypassing smaller blood vessels which are also known as capillaries. AVMs, if left untreated, may “steal” the normal blood flow from the brain. This can cause a stroke and cause bleeding in the brain.
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery can effectively destroy the AVM and cause the blood vessels to close off over some time.
Trigeminal neuralgia: This is a disorder of one or both of the trigeminal nerves, which work to relay sensory information between your brain and areas of your forehead, cheek and lower jaw. This disorder can cause disabling facial pain which gives a feeling resembling an electric shock.
After this treatment, people will experience pain relief within a few days to a few months.
Pituitary tumors: Tumors of the bean-sized gland, located at the base of the brain can also cause multiple problems. The pituitary gland is responsible for the hormones in your body that control several functions, such as your metabolism, stress response, and sexual function.
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery can help in shrinking the tumor and it will also lessen the disruption of pituitary hormone regulation.
Acoustic neuroma: An acoustic neuroma also termed as a vestibular schwannoma is a noncancerous tumor that develops along the nerve of balance and hearing which leads from your inner ear to the brain.
When this tumor puts any pressure on the nerve, you can experience problems such as loss of hearing, loss of balance, dizziness as well as ringing in the ear. As the tumor continues to grow, it can even put pressure on your nerves affecting sensations and muscle movement in the face as well.
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery can help to stop the growth of an acoustic neuroma.
Preparation
First, the physician will be gathering your medical history and will be performing a complete physical exam. You might also need to undergo additional tests. If you are allergic to any medications or anesthetic agents have a heart pacemaker implanted medication pump, aneurysm clip, implanted nerve stimulator, metal from trauma, metal implants, severe lung disease, cochlear implant, spine stabilization hardware or esophageal reflux, then you need to inform your doctor. You also need to inform him/her if you are unable to lie flat on your back for 30 to 60 seconds, or if you suffer from claustrophobia.
You will need to arrange for a friend or family member to go with you on the day of your procedure. A nurse will inform you a day before the procedure to confirm the arrival time and answer any queries that you might have. On the evening before the procedure, do not consume any food or drink after midnight. Also, remember to wash your scalp properly.
Remember to wear your hair loose and avoid any clips, bands or pins. Do not use any hair spray or any other kind of styling product.
On the morning of the treatment, take your medications with sips of water. Bring all prescribed and over-the-counter medications with you. Also, make sure that you wear comfortable clothing. Avoid wearing a shirt that needs to be put on and taken off over the head.
Procedure
First, you will lie on a bed that slides into the Gamma Knife machine. Your head frame will be securely attached to a helmet inside the machine.
An intravenous tube will deliver fluids to your bloodstream so that you are hydrated during the procedure. Soon the bed you lie on will be sliding into the gamma knife machine.
The time taken for the procedure to be completed can sometimes be less than an hour. In some cases, it can take around four hours. Usually, this depends on how big the target is.
You will not feel the radiation, during the procedure, nor will you hear any noise during the procedure. There will be a microphone through which you will be able to communicate with the doctors.
Though Gamma Knife radiosurgery is an outpatient procedure in some cases, an overnight stay at the hospital might be required.
After the Procedure
Once the procedure is complete, the head frame will be removed and you will be able to eat and drink again. If you experience headache, nausea or vomiting after the procedure, you will be receiving the appropriate medications. You might experience minor bleeding or tenderness at the pin sites.
It is recommended that you ask a friend or family member to stay with you for the first night after the treatment to watch for any side effects. For a minimum of one week, keep your head in an elevated position on a pillow. This can help lessen any swelling at the pin sites as well as help in minimizing pressure within your head.
How successful the treatment is, depends on several factors including the size, location, type of lesion, your personal medical history and several other factors. It is best to discuss your expectations and outlook with your doctors before the procedure.
Risks
Since Gamma Knife radiosurgery doesn’t involve surgical incisions, it is less risky as compared to traditional neurosurgery. In traditional neurosurgery, there are potential complications which are associated with anesthesia, bleeding and infection.
Usually, any early complications or side effects are temporary. Some patients can experience mild headaches, a tingling sensation on the scalp, nausea or vomiting. Sometimes, there might be other side effects too, which can include fatigue, swelling or scalp and hair problems.
Video explanation
Possible side-effects
Although Gamma Knife is a safe and widely accepted procedure, the patient may experience the following side-effects/discomforts during and after procedure:
- Local discomfort of the scalp at the sites where pins are inserted.
- Numbness of the scalp around pin, which may resolve over a day or two.
- Mild Headache & nausea, resolving rapidly.
FAQs
How effective is Gamma Knife surgery?
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery is considered quite effective. Seventy to 90 percent of AVMs are completely obliterated. Gamma Knife radiosurgery has prevented tumour growth in 97 percent of patients.
Is the Gamma Knife painful?
It is bloodless, virtually painless, does not result in hair loss and has a rapid return to pre-treatment activities.
How long does Gamma Knife surgery last?
30 minutes to 3 hours depending on the plan.