Jason Sheehan, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Neurological Surgery
University of Virginia Health Sciences Center
Box 800212
Charlottesville, VA 22908
434-924-8129
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/neurosurgery/faculty/sheehan.cfm
Transcript: Radiosurgical equipment
There are a number of different devices out there that can be used for Radiosurgical treatment for trigeminal neuralgia. Those include the Gamma Knife, the CyberKnife®, Novalis®, The Trilogy®, Tomo Therapy®, and the Synergy®. All these can potentially be used.
I would say that in my practice, that the Gamma Knife has unparalleled accuracy and precision and it is very well tolerated by patients. The Gamma Knife is something that we know that we are going to hit our target. We are not off with that.
The simple fact though is that I suspect that it’s less the horse and more the jockey in many instances because the Radiosurgical devices that I’ve mentioned can all be used in some way, shape, or form to treat patients with trigeminal neuralgia. In other words, the experience of the team matters as much or more so than the device that’s used.
Radiosurgical options though for trigeminal neuralgia can utilize a number of different devices. My experience and our successes and research however, have all been done with the Gamma Knife.