Gamma Knife and Radiotherapy Center - Gamma Knife and Radiotherapy Center Krefeld

About the Gamma Knife and Radiotherapy Center at Gamma Knife and Radiotherapy Center Krefeld

The Gamma Knife and Radiotherapy Center Krefeld specializes in the stereotactic radiosurgical treatment and stereotactic radiotherapy for benign and malignant tumors of the head and neck, vascular malformations, as well as metastases in various organs (for example, in the liver, lungs, spine). The center has state-of-the-art equipment for stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiation therapy – Perfexion Gamma Knife and Axesse Linear Accelerator. The center is headed by Dr. med. Gerhard Horstmann.

Founded in 1998, the center enjoys an excellent reputation both in professional circles and among patients from all over the world. Since its opening, more than 3,500 outpatient and inpatient stereotactic radiosurgical operations with the Gamma Knife and more than 7,000 successful stereotactic radiation therapy courses have been performed here. 

Due to the high accuracy and effectiveness of the intervention, the Gamma Knife method is recognized as the "gold standard" of modern surgery. A single procedure, which is usually outpatient, without hospitalization, is enough to provide effective treatment. The procedure is preceded by either tomography (CT, NMR) or angiography to precisely determined the area to be exposed, after which an individual radiation plan is created with the help of a specialized computer system for radiation planning. To do this, during the tomography or angiography, a special "stereotaxic frame" with a coordinate system is additionally used – this allows to fix the location of the tumor or metastases with the best possible accuracy. The obtained coordinates are carefully observed during the Gamma Knife radiation, which eliminates errors when directing the beam. For more precise development of the radiation plan, in particular, when working with the Axesse Linear Accelerator, doctors can form 3D and 4D images of the necessary parts of the body, which is another unique feature of stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiotherapy offered in the center.

The most important peculiarity of this center lies in the innovative technologies of targeted radiotherapy, thanks to which healthy tissues can be completely removed from the radiation zone. At the same time, tumors and their metastases can be removed with an accuracy of up to 0,3 mm, which makes it possible to consider radiation therapy the "gold standard" and the completely independent treatment method for oncological diseases. 

The Perfexion Gamma Knife and Axesse Linear Accelerator, which are used in the center, provide patients with a number of advantages over conventional surgical procedures for the removal of tumors and metastases:

• Just a single treatment procedure is enough.
• High, but extremely targeted, radiation dose – in a millimeter from the Gamma Knife beam, ionizing radiation becomes safe for the surrounding healthy tissues.
• Non invasive procedure – lack of trepanation.
• Non-traumatic procedure – there is no need to make skin incisions, drainage installation, etc.
• Lack of risks due to the surgical intervention – bleeding, traumatization of vital centers of the brain, etc.
• Minimal side effects due to irradiation (nausea, vomiting, headache) that only last for several days.
• Short period of time to perform the procedure – from 45 to 120 minutes, depending on the type of tumor and its location.
• An outpatient procedure or a short hospital stay for follow-up after treatment.
• Possibility of conducting a repeated procedure in the development of a tumor in another part of the body.
• Lack of the need for rehabilitation after treatment, the opportunity to quickly return to everyday life.

The center employs highly qualified surgeons, radiologists and a caring medical staff, who always response a patient and take into account their wishes.

In addition, the center is the only medical facility in the world with the quality management of the entire medical treatment process, including its results.

The service range of the center includes the treatment of the following diseases:

• Brain tumors
  • Meningiomas
  • Acoustic neuromas (vestibular schwannomas)
  • Neurinomas of other cranial nerves (for example, of the facial one)
  • Pituitary adenomas (microadenomas, macroadenomas)
  • Chordomas
  • Chondrosarcomas
  • And other types of tumors
• Head / neck cancer
  • Jaw tumors
  • Salivary gland tumors
  • Tongue tumors
  • Pharyngeal and laryngeal tumors
  • Tumors of the cervical esophagus
  • Tumors of the nose and paranasal sinuses
  • And other types of tumors
• Vascular malformations
  • Arteriovenous malformation
  • Glomus tumors of the head
  • Cavernous hemangiomas
  • And other types of tumors
• Eye and orbital tumors
  • Melanoma
  • Choroidal hemangioma
  • Conjunctival tumors
  • Eyelid tumors
  • Orbital tumors
  • And other types of tumors
• Tumors of other localizations
  • Prostate cancer
  • Lung cancer in the early stages
  • Spinal tumors
  • And other types of tumors
• Metastases
  • Brain metastases
  • Head and neck metastases
  • Orbital metastases
  • Lung metastases
  • Spinal cord metastases
  • Liver metastases
  • Spinal metastases
  • Metastases of more rare localizations
• Functional disorders
  • Trigeminal neuralgia
  • And other diseases

Photo of the doctor: (c) Gamma Knife Zentrum Krefeld