Hi, wavegeek.

I have not had gamma knife myself; I have glossopharyngeal neuralgia, which cannot be targeted with gamma knife. However, I am a medical physicist. If you choose to have the procedure, it is the job of a medical physicist to make sure that the gamma knife machine is working properly, and likely to design the plan the machine will use to deliver the radiation.

If you are concerned about the radiation exposure, I suggest you first have a consultation with a radiation oncologist. Keep in mind that a gamma knife machine has 201 sources (beams), so that your nerve ends up receiving about 200 times the dose of any other part of your head. Additionally, the beams are highly collimated (very narrow) so the best is done to spare other nearby tissues.

I know radiation seems frightening, but often public perception of the danger of radiation is rather skewed. A radiation oncologist will be able to explain the risks and their likelihood of occurrence to you, and then you will be able to make a properly informed decision. I will say that if my neuralgia couldn't be controlled by medication, and I were eligible for gamma knife, I would go for it.

-Sarah