Penn State adopts 'Gamma Knife' technology

The Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has become one of fewer than 70 health care providers in the United States to use new Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion technology. The medical equipment improves radiosurgery to target brain tumors and functional disorders. Instead of a surgeon’s scalpel, Gamma Knife radiosurgery uses a single dose of radiation to treat a wide range of diseases, including tumors, vascular malformations, and lesions on the brain that cause epilepsy. Because there are no incisions made in Gamma Knife radiosurgery, the risk of complication is low, treatment time is shorter and discomfort is minimal. “The new Perfexion technology will make radiosurgery the preferred option for a wider range of tumor patients and will reduce treatment time for all patients,” Robert E. Harbaugh, chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at the Hershey Medical Center, said.