What is Cyberknife radiosurgery?

Cyberknife radiosurgery is a surgical procedure to treat tumours by using radio energy rather than the conventional blade and scalpel surgeries. This makes it a non-invasive procedure wherein a beam of radiation is directed to the site which is requiring the intervention, at a high dose. This is performed with a great amount of precision so that only the target tissue is affected by the radiations.

With advancements in robotic surgery, the principles have been employed along with the radiosurgery technique for its best results. This has enabled the accuracy to be achieved to a greater extent.

How is Cyberknife radiosurgery done?

Cyberknife radiosurgery is a quite simple and relatively quick procedure. The methods involved are enlisted below:

1)   Pre-procedure evaluation and planning: This involves a team discussion and deciding on different scanning modalities like CT and MRI to gain adequate insight about the tumour location. Further it involves placing a golden marker at the location of the tumour (fiducials), which helps in identifying the location of the tumour appropriately.

2)   Radiosurgery: The patient is positioned and the robotic arm moves around in order to precisely locate the tumour and then it delivers the adequate amount of radiation dose to the target site. This may be done just in a single sitting or in multiple sittings. The plan, however, is decided by the multidisciplinary team of doctors. The procedure can be almost as short as an hour, and doesn’t take much time.

3)   Post procedure: The patient doesn’t usually require any observations. However, the requirements need to be assessed by the Medcure India team of doctors to ensure your safety, and is decided by considering the complete medical background of the patient.

Am I a Good Candidate for Cyberknife radiosurgery?

Cyberknife radiosurgery is more often used for neoplastic disorders with a potential to spread or cause a threat to one’s life. Also, it may be used for inaccessible non-cancerous tumors, which can affect adjacent structures by its pressure effects resulting in a significant residual deficit, in the near future.

The indications for surgery are tumors which are quite inaccessible and smaller in dimensions. The bigger they are and the more widespread they are, as in cases of widespread metastases, it becomes more difficult to perform the radiosurgery.

However, the ideal candidature to be considered in this surgery is decided by the team of doctors. They take into consideration, a complete history, do a physical examination and run a series of investigations and come up with a plan of action on an individualised basis, so that our clients are treated in their best interests.

What are the advantages of using Cyberknife radiosurgery?

The benefits of using cyberknife radiosurgery are as follows:

1)   High precision and accuracy: This is a highlight of the procedure, and hence there can be no damage to normal tissue parenchyma

2)   No anaesthesia requirements: This is a painless procedure and hence the procedure need not be done under general anaesthesia

3)   No surgical incisions required: It is a non-invasive procedure and hence it a surgery where there is no bleeding or chance of developing scars

4)   Minimal complications post procedure: The complications being minimal, there is no absolute requirement for any observation to be done and the patient can go home almost immediately after the procedure.

5)   Easy accessibility and manoeuvrability: The robotic arm helps in easy manoeuvrability and hence access to deeper tissues become quite easy. Moreover, it helps in approaching deep tumours with the same amount of precision.

6)   Less time consuming; it is a procedure that doesn’t require much time and will take nearly an hour for one sitting.

Why Choose MedcureIndia?

We at MedcureIndia have partnerships with most of the hospitals in India wherein technology takes a lead in management of our patients. The latest and most modern facilities are available at these centres to make sure that the remedy to your problem is attained at an affordable price.

We employ the most renowned radiation oncologist, surgical and medical oncologists for ensuring that our patients are taken care very well. Moreover, we have a good medical and technical back up from radiologists, pathologists, nursing personnel and radiation physicists, who help us achieve this target easily.

We are here to ensure your satisfaction and we make sure, that you will never regret choosing MedcureIndia.

To Get Free Quotes & Consultation For This Treatment in India Contact Us At:

MedcureIndia Healthcare Consultants

Call Us: +91-7066132333

Email Us: contact@medcureindia.com

World AUTOimmune/AUTOinflammatory Arthritis Day is an online awareness event in the form of a virtual car race - which plays on the "auto" in AUTOimmune and AUTOinflammatory.  It is becoming more appropriate to differentiate inflammatory arthritis in this way because research has shown that there is some level of inflammation involved in Osteoarthritis and it's also associated with gout.

HIV Vaccine Awareness Day is observed each year to recognize the many volunteers, community members, health professionals, and scientists working to develop a vaccine to prevent HIV. It is also an opportunity to educate communities about the importance of preventive HIV vaccine research. A safe and effective preventive HIV vaccine is key to ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

“The revolutionary CyberKnife system delivers very precise radiation to tumors with extreme efficacy making the treatment surprisingly painless. This latest patient-first innovation gives patient greater control with better quality of life” The CyberKnife is the first and only FDA approved non-surgical robotic radiation treatment system that treats tumors throughout the body, including prostate, lung, brain, spine, head and neck, liver, pancreas, kidney, and certain gynecologic indications. Unlike its name, CyberKnife is not involved in any surgical procedure. In fact, it’s the best alternative to traditional surgical removal of tumors. It is a real boon for cancer patients as it does not typically require anaesthesia or an overnight hospital stay. CyberKnife treatment is best suited for patients who cannot undergo surgical procedures because of the location or size of the tumour.

CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery: A Breakthrough Radiotherapy for cancer patients

Radiation therapy makes the use of focused beams of intense energy to destroy cancer cells and prevent the further growth of tumours. Radiation therapy also works by preventing targeted cells from multiplying. The main aim of radiation therapy is to destroy the harmful cancerous cells while minimizing damage to healthy cells.

The CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System is a painless and noninvasive outpatient cancer treatment with minimal to no side effects.  It delivers very high doses of radiation to cancerous and noncancerous with extreme accuracy.  The System allows physicians to destroy the target tumour completely without harming the surrounding healthy tissue.  Radiation is delivered more accurately and one to five sessions are required for the treatment. As a result, the CyberKnife treatment has the highest patients compliance.

How CyberKnife Works?

CyberKnife uses a combination of image guidance technology and computer-controlled robotics to continuously track, detect and correct for tumour and patient movements throughout the treatment, ensuring accuracy and efficiency.

CyberKnife Procedures

For CyberKnife procedures, patients will be asked to lie on a treatment table and the machine’s robotic arm moves around their body. It delivers high doses of radiation directly to their tumour with pinpoint precision.  Depending on the size, shape and location of the tumour treatment sessions typically last 30 – 90 minutes. Whereas,  conventional radiation therapy treatments, including proton therapy, require as many as 40 sessions.

CyberKnife: Patient Benefits

The CyberKnife System is approved by the USFDA in 1999 to treat head and skull disease. As of now, CyberKnife has benefited more than 100,000 patients worldwide.

The advantages of cancer treatment using the CyberKnife include:

●                Noninvasive Procedure: Procedures are non-surgical and painless for the patient.

●                Greater Flexibility: Using a fully integrated robotic delivery system, the CyberKnife allows for superior reach and manoeuvrability.

●                Frameless Structure: Unlike conventional radiosurgical technology, CyberKnife uses the skeletal structure of the body rather than invasive metal frames and skull pins as a reference point for identifying the tumour position throughout treatment.

●                Unmatched Precision and Accuracy: CyberKnife treatment is powered by robotic tracking technology that tracks tumour location continuously, very useful for respiratory tumours that move when the patient breathes.

●                Multiple Treatment sessions: CyberKnife patient does not need to wait in the hospital after the treatment is finished unlike frame-based procedures, where the entire process must be performed in a single day. CyberKnife treatment sessions typically last between 30 and 90 minutes, depending on the dose and the tumor shape. Physicians can decide to treat the tumour in a single dose or over several sessions.

●                Minimal complications: Treatment with CyberKnife has less risk of complications such as infection, haemorrhage and other complications which are occasionally associated with conventional surgery.

●                Better Quality of Life: Patients are free from hospital stays, minimal recovery periods, less pain, no blood loss and no need for hair shaving. Patients can live a normal life without disruptions.

Treatable Tumors, Lesions and Conditions: CyberKnife treats tumors anywhere in the body. This technique can be used to treat patients for thoracic, head, neck spine, prostate, liver and pancreas cancer and more, can be treated as indicated below. 

Cancer treatment in India is a unique concurrence of best quality and cost advantage. The benefit is unimaginable when it comes to major treatments such as for Cancer where the difference in cost is 10 to 20 times. Furthermore, India offers a good number of high-end cancer hospitals who are always ready to give quick and immediate attention for cancer treatment without any waiting time.

From the quality of therapy, the range of procedural and treatment options available, infrastructure and skilled manpower to perform any medical procedure with zero waiting time with the affordable cost of treatment are the major benefits of travelling for medical treatment in India are many. 

India is a very popular spot for undergoing surgical procedures for obesity. Our bariatric surgery team has revolutionised the lives of many individuals all over the world.

Signs & Symptoms:

Metabolic Syndrome predisposes an individual to most of the signs and symptoms associated with obesity. These include symptoms and signs of: 
1)     Diabetes mellitus:

a)     Polydipsia, polyphagia and polyuria are the classical descriptions.

b)     Elevated sugar levels, recurrent urinary tract infections & skin infections and poor wound healing

2)     Hypertension:

a)     High systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure

b)     Recurrent headache and retro-orbital pain

c)     Visual disturbances, retinal damage & blurring of vision
3)     Dyslipidemia (Hypercholesterolemia & Hypertriglyceridemia):

a)     Xanthelasma are yellowish skin deposits which are cosmetically disfiguring especially on the face, usually on the eyelids.

b)     Xanthoma refer to large yellowish nodular deposits of fat especially within tendinous areas of the skin

c)     Increased waist circumference than recommended for the ethnic group or populations

d)     Gynaecomastia or enlarged male breasts may affect your confidence levels.
4)     Ischaemic Vascular Events (Heart Attack and Stroke):

a)     Chest pain, palpitations and shortness of breath

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b)     Reduced exercise tolerance

c)     Weakness of the upper or lower limbs, deviation of the angle of the mouth,  speech paralysis
5)     Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA)& Asthma:

a)     Breathing difficulty and wheeze with increased work of breathing

b)     Snoring and sleeplessness and loss of patency of the air passage causing apnoeic episodes at night.
6)     Others:

a)     Chronic knee pain and osteoarthritis

b)     Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease causes chest burns due to regurgitation of the acid from the stomach

c)     Fatty Liver Disease (Non- alcoholic Steatohepatitis or NASH
7)     Psychosocial Symptoms:

a)     Depression, low self-esteem and loss of confidence

b)     Increased psychological stress and healthcare costs due to recurrent hospital admissions from chronic diseases

c)     Lower productivity in terms of income and education due to disabilities

d)     Chronic tiredness and loss of interest in day to day activities

 Types of Disease:

There are many ways in which Obesity has been categorised taking into consideration, the ethnic and regional diversities by using various parameters. Some of them include body mass index, waist to hip ratio, waist circumference, body fat percentage, and presence of disabilities or comorbidities.

Edmonton Obesity Staging System (EOSS) classifies obesity into 5 stages, each with increasing risks, comorbidities, disabilities and functional limitations.

Stage 0: No risk factors, symptoms or psychological or functional limitations or impairment of well being

Stage 1: Subclinical risks of obesity present (impaired fasting glucose, borderline hypertension, and impaired liver enzymes), mild symptoms, psychological and functional limitations or impairment of well being

Stage 2: Established chronic disease related to obesity (Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, Polycystic ovary, sleep apnoea, GERD), moderate limitation in activities of daily living

Stage 3: Established end organ damage (heart attack, heart failure, complications of diabetes, severe osteoarthritis), significant psychological or functional limitation

Stage 4: Severe, potentially end stage disabilities from obesity related chronic diseases, disabling psychological or functional limitation

 Treatment Procedures:

A complete assessment of an individual suffering from obesity disorder is to identify the cause of obesity and managing the same. This involves a history taking, examination and a series of blood tests to see any functional disorders that persist alongside during the visit to your doctor. Any special test may be advised, considering the comorbidities or for anaesthetic fitness for surgery.

Surgical procedures for obesity are very popular these days; however, there are several alternatives to surgical procedures and can be tried depending on individual preferences. These may include agreeing on a weight loss goal and strategic planning with review at our obesity clinics.

The weight loss strategy involves proper diet and exercise, stress management with relaxation exercises and counselling, and some anti-obesity drugs . However, many of these are practically difficult and the medications can have abdominal side effects which make people adopt bariatric procedures for a permanent resolution.

The surgeries are usually done laparoscopically. However, recent advances have enabled use of robotic surgery to make precise surgical manipulations with good success rates.

The types of surgeries performed involve restrictive (restricts the amount of food) and malabsorptive (decreases the absorption) elements and may include: 
1)     Gastric banding: This is the most common restrictive procedure  performed:

·        A band is placed around the upper portion of the stomach (cardia)

·        This restricts the amount of solid food material ingested at one time, and not affecting the quantity of liquid that can be taken in at a time

·        May need supplements following the first year of surgery

NB: Adjustable Gastric Banding is another surgery wherein asilastic band is placed which can be adjusted by injecting saline to a port which lies beneath the skin. This requires regular clinical assessment to adjust the band as required.

2)     Sleeve gastrectomy: This is another restrictive surgery which is available.

·        Almost three-fourths of the stomach is removed and the volume that can be consumed in a meal is restricted

·        Gastric transit time is shortened and this hastens gastric emptying.

·        May require routine vitamin supplements for the first year

3)     Gastric bypass: Almost 50-75% of the excess weight may be lost following procedure in approximately one to one and a half years. This has both restrictive &malabsorptive mechanisms:

·        The stomach is divided and a small remnant is created

·        The small intestine is divided and re-anastomosed to the remnant of the stomach

·        This effectively reduces food intake as well as the absorption aiding weight loss

·        May require routine supplements due to impairment of absorption

4)     Minigastric bypass: This has both restrictive and malabsorptive elements. It is similar to the gastric bypass, except that a mini stomach is created by incomplete division of the stomach, prior to anastomosing it with the small bowel.

5)     Endoscopic Intragastric Balloon Surgery:A balloon is placed endoscopically into the stomach lumen and inflated. This achieves early satiety with less volume of food as; the gastric lumen is restricted by the intragastric balloon.6)     Biliopancreatic diversion and other metabolic surgeries are also available.

Bariatric surgery in diabetes may sometimes aid in complete reversal of sugar levels to normal, and can be considered in cases of diabetes not responding to medical therapy.

Adjuvant therapies for associated ailments, if any, will also be addressed simultaneously. This may include cosmetic surgeries, surgery for gynaecomastia, liposuction and plastic surgery.

 Am I a Good Candidate for Bariatric surgery?

Bariatric surgeries are usually considered in cases of failure of non-surgical treatment and compatibility to undergo surgery after pre-operative counselling has been assessed.

The indications for bariatric surgeries as per the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery are:

1)     Obesity Class 3 (BMI >= 40)

2)     Obesity Class 2 (BMI: 35.0 to 39.9) with at least one obesity related comorbidity like Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, Sleep Apnoea, Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver disease, Osteoarthritis, Dyslipidemia, Heart disease, Gastro-oesophageal Reflux disease etc.

3)     Failure to achieve a sustained weight loss for a period of time in spite of various weight loss strategies.

If you belong to any of these classes, you are indeed the ideal candidate for a bariatric surgery.

We have a well-equipped and talented group of doctors and medical personnel who care for our patients. We employ the latest technical advancements in surgical procedures including the DaVinci robotic system for bariatric procedures. We extend our services to you and we will be glad to see you living with confidence.

To Get Free Quotes & Consultation For This Treatment in India Contact Us At:

MedcureIndia Healthcare Consultants

Call Us: +91-7066132333

Email Us: contact@medcureindia.com

May is designated as Hepatitis Awareness Month in the United States, providing 31 days to raise awareness of viral hepatitis in the United States. During May,