With its two Perfexion systems, La Timone will treat as many as 10 patients each day

On February 16, University Hospital La Timone celebrated the 20th anniversary of the hospital’s Gamma Knife® radiosurgery program with a Symposium and guided tour for journalists and officials. Among the world’s elite centers whose experience in Gamma Knife radiosurgery spans decades and whose treated patient volume surpasses 10,000, La Timone has been performing Gamma Knife surgery since 1992 and has operated four different versions of Gamma Knife, widely recognized as the gold standard for brain radiosurgery.

It was the Perfexion system’s planning speed and ability to streamline radiosurgery – in addition to an ever-increasing workload – that convinced La Timone officials they needed to replace its Gamma Knife 4C with an additional Perfexion, says Jean Régis, M.D. La Timone neurosurgeon and Gamma Knife program director.

Jean Régis, M.D. La Timone neurosurgeon and Gamma Knife program director

“As our activities continued to increase we were working longer hours of operation and it was putting a burden on the team,” Prof. Régis says. “With two Perfexion systems running, we end the day much earlier. In addition, the percentage of patients with brain metastases is increasing dramatically – more so than any other indication – and in this group the number of mets per patient also is increasing significantly.”

Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a gentler alternative to traditional brain surgery for illnesses such as metastatic disease, which is cancer that has travelled to the brain from elsewhere in the body. With pinpoint accuracy, the system delivers up to thousands of low-intensity radiation beams to one or more targets in a single session. Perfexion provides even greater speed and ease of use than previous models.

Read more: http://www.elekta.com/press/4643d00f-636c-43c8-a0da-cf08e5986b92/radiosurgery-pioneer-university-hospital-la-timone-is-world-s-first-to-acquire-second-leksell-gamma-knife-perfexion.html.