Brain tumor patients will soon have a new place to turn for state-of-the-art treatment without having to travel far from home.

Mercy Health continues to invest in the health and well-being of our community with the introduction of Gamma Knife® at Mercy Health – Perrysburg Hospital* -- the only hospital in northwest Ohio offering this technology. Coming in Spring 2021, the Gamma Knife will help treat appropriate intercranial malignant and benign tumors as well as neuromas and vascular abnormalities.

“Mercy Health believes our patients deserve state-of-the-art care from a dedicated team of experts who understand their concerns and partner with them every step of the way from diagnosis through to treatment,” said Bob Baxter, president, Mercy Health – Toledo. “Patients looking for this technology now have to travel to receive this level of care. I am proud to announce that Mercy Health has committed to bringing the most advanced levels of care to where our patients live.”

The Gamma Knife isn’t actually a knife. No incisions are made. Instead, the “knife” refers to 192 individual beams of gamma rays converging into one focal point and precisely targeting the area of the brain that needs to be treated, minimizing damage to healthy tissue.

“Gamma knife is an advanced form of radiation therapy and the standard of care to treat many forms of brain tumors as well as other neurological conditions ranging from vascular lesions in the brain to pain syndromes,” said Dr. Zubair Ahammad, Mercy Health neurosurgeon.  “It offers a very proven, high-precision yet high-dose approach to targeting lesions in the brain and minimizing damage to normal tissue, therefore allowing for fewer side effects, a much more favorable recovery, and significantly less long-term consequences than conventional radiation.”

Benefits of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery include:

  • No incisions are made eliminates risk of infection
  • Less damage to surrounding tissue or nearby structures
  • Requires no general anesthesia
  • Usually performed in one session in an outpatient setting, eliminating a hospital stay
  • Minimal or no patient discomfort, allowing patients to quickly return to normal activities

The treatment is painless and simple and without the normal risks associated with surgery and a long hospital stay. Patients who receive Gamma Knife treatment are often treated in one session and experience less damage to healthy cells and considerably faster recovery time.

“Gamma Knife is the most precise radiation treatment machine available on the market, which is very important when treating intracranial disease,” said Dr. Suketu Patel, medical director for Mercy Health Radiation Oncology. “It is an excellent tool for cancer care, as well as for benign tumors where surgery is not an option. It will allow us to treat difficult to reach tumors where every millimeter matters to spare the adjacent critical tissue. It will provide a state-of-the-art treatment that is not available anywhere else in metro Toledo.” 

*Mercy Health – Perrysburg Hospital is a division of Mercy Health – St. Vincent Medical Center.