The Gamma Knife Center at Samsung Hospital has reached a milestone of 15,000 gamma knife surgeries, the first of its kind in South Korea. Over 1,700 cases were recorded in 2019 at SMC, and this number is expected to increase in the future.
Gamma knife radiosurgery is a precise and highly effective treatment method that uses high-energy gamma rays instead of a surgical scalpel, focusing on lesions to treat patients with various neurological disorders, including brain tumors, arteriovenous malformations, and trigeminal neuralgia.
The ‘Icon’ gamma knife model first arrived at SMC in South Korea in 2016, and the hospital upgraded its previous ‘Perfection’ gamma knife equipment to the ‘Icon’ model in 2018 to provide more precise and comfortable treatment options. Consequently, the Gamma Knife Center currently owns two units of this equipment.
The introduction of the Icon has facilitated fractionated radiosurgery by providing radiation at various doses over time without the need for rigid stereotactic device fixation. This has allowed surgeons to choose different radiosurgery techniques depending on the size and type of tumor.
The center also offers training programs for healthcare professionals from Korea and abroad on the use of the gamma knife, as it has been designated an international training center under an agreement with Elekta, the manufacturer of gamma knife equipment. The center has published over 60 papers in international journals, won six academic awards at international and domestic symposiums, and received seven patents along with one intellectual property right for a computing program.
Source: SMC News – About SMC – Samsung Medical Center (samsunghospital.com)
