A powerful new tool in the fight against serious brain disorders is the Gamma Knife Perfexion, a radiosurgical device recently acquired by the Keck School of Medicine of USC Department of Neurological Surgery. The cutting-edge instrument—which focuses multiple beams of concentrated radiation onto a targeted area—will more rapidly and effectively treat a myriad of serious neurological problems, says Michael Apuzzo, M.D., professor of neurological surgery at the Keck School of Medicine and holder of the Todd-Wells Professorship in Neurosurgery. “It’s an enormous breakthrough for neurological surgery,” he says. “This instrument represents the epitome of what modern medicine has at its disposal.” The Gamma Knife Perfexion is fully robotic and increases the speed and accuracy of the radiation treatment by eliminating the need to manually adjust settings while patients are undergoing treatment, Apuzzo explains. Previous models required patients to be fitted with a 500-pound helmet that directed radiation beams through tiny tunnels, called collimators, while blocking others. Using automated, pinpoint accuracy, the new Gamma Knife model reduces treatment time by more than 30 percent and can completely eradicate tumors non-surgically, he adds. “From a patient’s standpoint, it’s a significant leap forward,” Apuzzo says.