The London Gamma Knife Centre

We are able to offer patients the latest generation of non-invasive treatment for brain conditions. The Gamma Knife Icon is a precise and accurate way to deliver radiation to even the most complex brain tumours or abnormalities.

This painless treatment, which has many advantages over traditional surgery, does not require a general anaesthetic and involves only a single day outpatient visit. Most patients experience only minimal side effects and return to their normal activities the following day.

As a patient of the centre, you'll benefit from the expertise of a multidisciplinary team of specialists, ranging from oncologists to neurosurgeons and radiographers, all working together to make sure you receive the best possible care, tailored to your condition. Our purpose-built centre is located at the Platinum Medical Centre in St Johns Wood, part of The Wellington Hospital. 

In fact, it is not a “knife” at all. Radiosurgery is a safe, effective and non-invasive procedure using radiation to treat tumours. It can replace conventional surgery combined with radiation, or it can be used in conjunction with it.

Radiation is delivered with precision to the abnormal tissue, within either the head or neck, to tumours, vascular malformations and nerves. With radiosurgery there is very little risk of infection, almost no risk of bleeding and no risk of spinal fluid leakage. As there is no need for invasive surgery, treatment can usually be delivered in a single day with most patients experiencing minimal side effects and returning to their normal activities almost immediately.

The Gamma Knife system was the first ever radiosurgery device and works by damaging the cells so they can no longer grow. It has revolutionised the treatment of certain benign and malignant tumours in and around the brain, replacing the need for surgery in many cases. Unlike conventional radiotherapy, radiosurgery is only directed at the abnormal tissue and so it spares the unnecessary treatment of normal brain tissue nearby.

The Gamma Knife can be used to treat a range of brain conditions including benign tumours (vestibular schwannoma, meningioma, pituitary adenoma and other skull base tumours) and malignant  tumours such as metastatic tumours and glioblastomas.  It also treats a range of neurological disorders such as vascular disorders including arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), cavernous malformation and dural arteriovenous fistula. Movement disorders such as epilepsy, parkinson’s tremor, OCD and trigeminal neuralgia (severe facial pain) are treated by the Gamma Knife.

Using this new equipment, our multidisciplinary team of neurosurgeons, oncologists, radiologists and physicists can target and treat conditions with higher accuracy than any other system, within 0.5mm, enabling our consultants to deliver a high dose of radiation to the affected areas, reducing the dose to the surrounding healthy brain. The design of the gamma knife also means there is much less radiation delivered to the rest of the body and because it is a minimally invasive procedure there is no risk of bleeding or infection.

The treatment process consists of four steps. First of all you will have a frame/or mask fitting followed by a CT, MRI or angiography. After your diagnostic imaging, you will rest whilst your medical team plans your treatment followed by the treatment itself. You can have treatment in a single day, and after a short recovery time you can return to normal activities almost immediately.