AIG Hospitals Offers South India’s First ZAP-X Gyroscopic Neuro-Radiosurgery Platform

Hyderabad: AIG Hospitals has launched the ZAP-X Gyroscopic Neuro-Radiosurgery Platform, the first installation of its kind in South India and only the second in the country. There are 36 of these platforms worldwide and 4 in Asia.

It will treat tumors 5 cm and below. If the tumors are between 10 cm and 20 cm in size, surgeons partially remove them and then use ZAP-X.

This platform uses protons obtained from the machine itself and treats the patient within 45 minutes. When the data from the MRI-CT Scan is transferred to the ZAP-X platform, it sends protons in 1,600 directions to the exact site of the tumor, killing it.

Prof John Adler, inventor of ZAP-X, said: “We are conducting research on treatments for depression and obesity that will serve a larger population in the future. The system delivers highly focused radiation beams with sub-millimeter accuracy, targeting tumors and abnormal tissues while preserving healthy brain structures. For patients, this means a completely non-invasive treatment that is painless, does not require hospitalization and allows them to quickly return to normal life.”

Brain tumors and related neurological disorders represent a growing health burden in India. Traditionally, many conditions required complex neurosurgery involving craniotomy, prolonged hospitalization, and significant recovery time.

AIG Hospitals president Dr. Stereotactic radiosurgery is emerging as a safer alternative for carefully selected cases globally and the launch of ZAP-X at AIG Hospitals brings one of the world’s most advanced neuro-radiosurgery technologies to patients in South India, said D. Nageshwar Reddy.

“We believe this technology will significantly benefit patients in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and it is being included in the insurance policy. Interaction with governments will explore whether this can be added in the Aarogyasri scheme,” he said.

Prof John said the ZAP-X platform was designed to treat a wide range of intracranial conditions, including benign and malignant brain tumors, brain metastases, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), trigeminal neuralgia and other complex neurological disorders.

One area where ZAP-X is expected to have a particularly significant impact is the treatment of brain metastases, that is, tumors that have spread to the brain from cancers elsewhere in the body, most often lung, breast or melanoma.

Brain metastases are among the most common brain tumors worldwide. He added that traditionally, treatment options have included open surgery or whole brain radiation therapy, which can expose large areas of the brain to radiation and cause side effects that affect cognition and quality of life.