Gamma Knife is a highly targeted and precise radiosurgery system from Elekta. It targets brain tumours with a high dose of gamma radiation that’s delivered with the kind of pinpoint accuracy only seen in movies starring Tom Cruise. The system is capable of delivering extremely high levels of radiation with the exactitude of less than one-tenth of a millimetre and of targeting critical, difficult-to-access areas of the brain.

Using a run-of-the-mill laptop, Dr Cathryn Walton carried out the first remote Gamma Knife radiosurgery at the Port Elizabeth unit. Of course, the rest of the system is far more advanced than the laptop, and Elekta’s new system allows oncologists to remotely plan and control the procedure. It enabled Walton, a specialised oncologist in Port Elizabeth, to remotely target the brain tumour of a patient in Johannesburg – a distance of more than 1 000km. Brainstorm asked Walton aside to find out more about the procedure and the technology.