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The Nebraska Gamma Knife® Center
The most technologically advanced treatment center for brain radiosurgery is located at BryanLGH West. Gamma Knife® Radiosurgery is a noninvasive procedure that uses focused beams of radiation to treat lesions in the brain without open surgery. This highly successful and safe procedure is used to treat brain tumors, vein malformations and other disorders of the brain.
Because the Gamma Knife® does not require an incision, patients recover more rapidly and have shorter hospital stays — often returning to normal activities in two to four days. In addition, risks associated with surgery and anesthesia are eliminated. Your doctor will tell you if Gamma Knife® treatment is right for you.
The Gamma Knife® is used to treat:
- Brain Tumors
- Metastatic tumors
- Malignant gliomas
- Other primary malignant brain tumors
- Acoustic neuromas
- Pituitary adenomas
- Meningiomas
- Chordomas
- Hemangioblastomas
- Craniopharyngiomas
- Other cranial nerve schwannomas
Vascular Malformations
- Arteriovenus malformations (AVMs)
- Carvenous malformations
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Movement disorders
- Epilepsy
- Parkinson's disease
Contact the Nebraska Gamma Knife® Center:
2300 So. 16th St.
Lincoln, NE 68502-3704
402-481-4999
1-800-742-7845
Intraoperative MRI
The new Medtronic PoleStar iMRI navigation system seamlessly integrates low-field, intraoperative MRI with computer-guided navigation for confirming brain tumor resection (removal). Having the iMRI right in the surgery suite allows the neurosurgery team to take and see real-time, 3-D images before, during and after surgery without ever leaving the operating room. Neurosurgeons use these images to plan the best approach to the tumor and achieve the desired resection while avoiding damage to healthy tissue. The system adjusts for inherent brain shift and by doing so, helps to eliminate complications that traditionally can arise during resection procedures. When the operation is complete, surgeons can verify that they've removed the entire tumor.
This means less invasive surgeries, faster recovery times, improved outcomes and a less likely return to surgery.
Merci Retriever
Doctors at BryanLGH use this new device approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to remove blood clots from patients experiencing an ischemic stroke. The device is led into the brain via the groin using basic catheterization techniques. When it reaches the targeted area, the Merci Retriever restores blood flow by capturing and removing the blood clot.
Awake Craniotomy
Surgeons at BryanLGH are specially trained in a procedure called awake craniotomy. This is similar to a standard craniotomy (brain tumor surgery), except that patients are fully awake during part of the procedure. In surgery, once the brain is accessible, the general anesthetic level is reduced, and the patient returns to consciousness, able to talk as normal, although head movement is restricted. With the patient awake, surgeons can better target the tumor and avoid harming areas that are not affected. The awake part of the surgery generally lasts between 10 and 40 minutes; patients feel no pain.
Stereotactic Radiation Therapy (SRT)
After a brain tumor is surgically removed, doctors need to ensure that they have removed every tumor cell possible. Post-surgery radiation treatments are used to destroy microscopic cells or any part of the tumor that was not accessible through surgery. Traditionally, radiation has been delivered to the whole brain — both to the tumor area and to normal tissue. This technology allows doctors to be precise in where the radiation is focused.
