ATLANTA, April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Atlanta’s 346-bed, tertiary-care hospital, is committed to providing the most technologically advanced means of treating brain disorders and has purchased the Leksell Gamma Knife(R) to add to its treatment options by October 2004.
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Gamma Knife(R) surgery avoids surgically opening the skull, with favorable results for the patient’s quality of life, treatment cost, clinical outcomes and reduction of complications.
“Saint Joseph’s is once again setting the standard by providing patients in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast with the highest possible quality of care,” said Henry Cline, M.D., medical director of radiation oncology at Saint Joseph’s. “The Leksell Gamma Knife(R) will allow us to provide a new dimension in the treatment of brain disorders.
“We selected the Leksell Gamma Knife(R) after extensive research. We believe it is the best technology available to deliver stereotactic radiosurgery,” Cline continued. “Leksell Gamma Knife(R) provides unparalleled accuracy and precision and offers our patients a wonderful alternative to traditional open surgery.”
With open surgery, patients can expect to spend up to two weeks in the hospital and months convalescing at home. Non-invasive Gamma Knife(R) surgery is completed in a matter of hours. Patients generally go home within 24 hours and resume normal activities within a few days.
“Saint Joseph’s chose the gold standard in neurosurgical treatment,” said Ray Rau, Vice President, Elekta Neuroscience. “Leksell Gamma Knife(R) is the most trusted radiosurgery product in the world with proven results documented in more than 1,900 peer-reviewed published papers.
“Not only is it gentle to patients, with proven efficacy, Gamma Knife(R) surgery also is cost-effective for the hospital. The fact that it’s a win for the hospital and a win for the patient has helped to boost the popularity of Leksell Gamma Knife(R) over the past few years,” Rau concluded.
Leksell Gamma Knife(R)
Gamma Knife(R) surgery is a treatment method for patients with life threatening brain diseases. It avoids surgically opening the skull, with favorable results for the patient’s quality of life, treatment cost, clinical outcomes and reduction of complications. Gamma Knife(R) surgery can deliver very high doses of radiation with minimal damage to the normal brain tissue surrounding the problem area. The technique is simple, quick and painless, with treatment carried out in a single session. Patients typically return to their pre-operative daily activity within a day or two, instead of the weeks or months of convalescence usually required after a traditional invasive operation.
Gamma Knife(R) surgery is used for a variety of neurological disorders, including AVMs, vestibular schwannomas, meningiomas, pituitary tumors, trigeminal neuralgia and brain metastases. Research is being conducted on other possible uses of Leksell Gamma Knife(R), such as treating epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease and uveal melanoma. To date, Leksell Gamma Knife(R) has been used to aid over 250,000 patients around the world and each year more than 30,000 patients receive radiosurgery from some of the close to 200 units installed world-wide.
About Saint Joseph’s
Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1880, Saint Joseph’s Hospital is Atlanta’s oldest hospital. Today, the 346-bed, acute-care hospital is recognized as one of the top specialty-referral hospitals in the Southeast.
As a leader in cardiac, neurologic, vascular, gastrointestinal, respiratory, orthopedic and cancer care, among others, Saint Joseph’s offers its patients the latest procedures and treatments by providing its medical staff, comprised of over 750 physicians, with research services and the most advanced technology available.
In addition to serving the metro-Atlanta area, patients come from all over Georgia and nearby states because of Saint Joseph’s specialized services, excellent reputation and unique patient experience.
As a result of its medical excellence, compassionate care and cost- effectiveness, Saint Joseph’s has received numerous awards including the distinguished Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence from the American Nurses Association Credentialing Center; a HealthGrades rating of “best in Georgia and top five percent in the nation” for cardiac and vascular programs; and Solucient’s list of 100 Top Hospitals in the country for cardiac and orthopedic care. Saint Joseph’s is the only Atlanta hospital named to J.D. Power and Associates Distinguished Hospital Program for Service Excellence.
About Elekta
Elekta is a world-leading supplier of advanced and innovative radiation oncology and neurosurgery solutions and services for precise treatment of cancer and brain disorders. Elekta’s solutions are clinically effective, cost efficient and gentle to the patient. For additional information about Elekta, please visit http://www.elekta.com/
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