St. Joseph's first with alternative brain surgery device

By Mashaun D. Simon

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A local Atlanta hospital has a new, incision-free surgery device.

St. Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta is the first hospital in the state to offer treatment with a Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion. This device is designed to treat brain tumors and other brain disorders.

The device is believed to be a “gentler alternative to traditional brain surgery,” said hospital officials.

“We are thrilled to be the first in Georgia to offer this treatment option for our patients,” said Rebecca Heitkam, manager of the Gamma Knife Center at Saint Joseph's. “With the upgrade to Perfexion, we will be able to reach and treat lesions that previously were unattainable.”

One of four Gamma Knife centers in Georgia, St. Joseph's launched its Gamma Knife radio surgery program in 2004, said hospital officials. More than 600 patients having have been treated at the center.

Saint Joseph's is Atlanta's oldest hospital. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1880, today Saint Joseph's is a 410-bed, acute-care hospital recognized as one of the leading specialty-referral hospitals in the Southeast.