Radiosurgery
Brain surgery without opening the skull.
Brain radiosurgery is a specialized method that uses radiation to treat diseases within the skull with great effeciency. The treatment consists of a single high dose of radiation in 3 dimensions to a well-defined, small target area. It is fundamentally different from radiation therapy, which is more commonly known by the general public and is used repeatedly over a period of weeks: radiosurgery does not use the difference in sensitivity between tumor and healthy cells, but induces slow tissue death in the affected areas thanks to the high dose delivered in one dose. Outside the designed target area, there is a sudden and significant (exponential) reduction in the radiation effect on non-tumor tissue.
This procedure is fundamentally different from radiation therapy, which is more widely known in the general population and is applied repeatedly over weeks. Radiotherapy is based on the differential sensitivity of tumor and healthy tissues, which throughout several repeated applications, preferentially affect tumor cells. In contrast, radiosurgery induces tissue necrosis in the affected areas by a high dose of radiation delivered in a single dose. In certain cases, radiosurgery can replace conventional open cranial surgery under general anesthesia. The cases depend on the type of the disease, whether it is defined as a first-line treatment, whether it can be used as an alternative to classical surgery, or potentially as a supplemental treatment. The decision requires a neurosurgeon specialist with experience in radiosurgery, who can give an opinion on the suitability of the procedure based on the existing patient documentation.
We offer online pre-screening for all interested patients.
Gamma knife technology or Linear accelerator
Within radiosurgery, thanks to technological advances, two types of procedures are available.
For lesions within the skull, the precision gamma radiosurgery method is most commonly used because it has the highest mechanical accuracy.
The gamma knife has several fixed cobalt sources, from which gamma photons treat diseases. In contrast, the linear accelerator produces electrons, and the instrument itself must move to ensure that the treatment spares as much non-tumor healthy tissue as possible.
The "rotating-system" gamma knife used in Debrecen is a curiosity because the rotating system has the advantage over other gamma knives in that it spares even more non-tumor tissue.
It is the primary technology used for neurosurgical purposes. In Hungary, only Debrecen has a rotating system stereotaxic gamma radiation device.
The linear accelerator, an alternative radiosurgery device, emits electron beams produced by an electric current: the treatment is done by accelerating the electrons and then using their braking energy. This technique is better suited to tumors requiring lower doses and repeated irradiation, where precision targeting is not a priority. It is mainly used in general oncological radiotherapy.
Cell death painlessly and without side effects
The most impressive feature of gamma radiosurgery is the high accuracy targeting. The radiation dose delivered to the treated area must be very high to achieve a destructive effect, but it must also ensure that the surrounding tissues remain intact. High doses of radiation cause cell death and the dead tissue are absorbed or scarred, taking different amounts of time depending on the type of disease, and becomes inactive and pose no further threat to the patient's body.
Millimeter precision for tumors smaller than 3 cm
Rotating gamma technology can be used for any type of lesion: regular and irregular tumors smaller than 3 cm can be treated. The accuracy of the targeting is ensured by a three- dimensional coordinate frame, which is secured on the patient's head before the procedure. More information on the procedure.
Using the stereotaxic frame, localization with three-dimensional coordinates can be solved to allow single, high-dose gamma irradiation with millimeter accuracy.
The mechanical precision of the device is better than 0.5 mm, making it the most accurate procedure available in current radiosurgery.
One-day care without anaesthesia
The effectiveness of gamma radiosurgery can be equivalent to other surgical procedures, but with much more favorable conditions for the patient: the treatment takes only an hour or two, followed by a few hours of observation and in most cases the patient can go home the same day.
The radiosurgery is performed in an awake state: thanks to the gentle radiation technology, there is no need to open the skull, so there is no sick leave due to skull injury and or rehabilitation period. The body is under less stress, the patient feels no pain and no anaesthesia is required at any stage of the treatment.
The tried-and-tested technology, developed over 40 years, is used in hundreds of centers around the world to save patients weeks of recovery time from traditional brain surgery with excision.
Gamma radiosurgery is a specific, multidisciplinary skill requiring many years of medical experience in neurology, neurosurgery, radiology and oncology. Radiation planning also requires the continuous presence of a physicist.
Another positive aspect of radiosurgery is that it can be combined with other treatments and can be integrated into any oncotherapy. Often, patients' poor general condition is not an obstacle to treatment, unlike the many criteria for open surgery, which can be delayed or not performed at all (e.g. blood count, concomitant internal diseases, medications).
At the Gamma Radiosurgery Center in Debrecen, patients are treated within the framework of one-day care with short waiting times. The state-funded treatment is free of charge for those with valid Hungarian insurance, while foreigners and those without insurance can have the procedure as a fee- paying service.
Dedicated center for cranial lesions
The Gamma Radiosurgery Center in Debrecen was the first institution in Hungary to specialize in the treatment of intracranial neurological lesions when it opened and the only one to do so in the 15 years since.
Every year, nearly 500 patients undergo radiosurgery in Debrecen, with internationally recognized professional standards. Permanent professional staff is in place to ensure professional standards of care: after more than 5,000 successful procedures, the number of cases means that this institution has the most experience in the field of radiosurgery of intracranial lesions in the country.
The follow-up protocol requires regular check- ups after the treatment. Personal consultations are available for our patients in Debrecen and Budapest.