scarring from gamma knife?

[Gloriann]

Does anyone know if Gamma Knife produces any scarring? I know there would be no visible scar on the outside of a person's head, since there is no incision, but I am talking about any scarring on the inside, where it treats the tumor.

I have talked to 2 different doctors lately concerning the re-occurence of my acoustic neuroma. One suggests I have Gamma Knife done(a neurosurgeon) and the other(ear surgeon) recommends that I have another surgery like the one I had 7 years ago (translab). The neurosurgeon says that GK does not cause scarring, but the ear surgeon says that it does, and that this would make any future surgeries harder, if there ever was a need for further brain surgery.

I know there are risks to everything. I have been doing searches on the internet about my question, but I think all I am coming up with are the places who do the gamma knife, which state there is "no scarring". I think that I read someplace one time that gamma knife does produce some scarring, but I don't know where I read that now. I guess at the time I did not think it would be something I would need to think about?

I am going to be seeing another neurosurgeon in a few weeks for another opinion.

[macintosh]

Hi Gloriann--

This question comes up from time to time on this forum, and it never really gets resolved. I think the reason is that these cases are so rare that there isn't enough data to form definite conclusions. Here's what it says on the University of Pittsburgh site:
#
 First, is the tumor more difficult to resect if radiosurgery fails? The answer to this is not clear. Few patients have required resection, and the opinions of the surgeons we have asked indicated that some tumors were less difficult, some about the same, and some more difficult. In a report on this issue that included thirteen patients who had resection after radiosurgery, eight were thought to be more difficult. However, five of these eight patients had failed resection before they had radiosurgery.

Sorry there doesn't seem to be anything more definite.

Best wishes,

Mac

[Gloriann]

 I believe the radiation probably does produce some scarring, since it is killing cells, but maybe it would not be as much as what microsurgery produces. I have had microsurgery done (translab), which produced scarring, so I would think this could make a second surgery a little more difficult.
I have heard different things from different doctors ever since finding out my tumor has grown back and I am trying to figure out the best treatment. I assumed all these years ever since my surgery that if the tiny piece that was left ever began to grow that I would have Gamma Knife done, but one of my surgeons (the ear specialist) has been talking to me about having a second surgery done instead of the Gamma knife. So this has caused some confusion for me.