Brain Surgery
A condition or injury that affects the brain will typically impact one’s
functions.
Depending on the affected area, you could have issues with movement, speech,
memory, thought, vision, hearing, and other essential functions.
Brain surgery is used to treat brain abnormalities such as tumors, malformed blood vessels, epilepsy, or problems with the pituitary gland.
Types of Brain Surgery
Our neurosurgeons select a surgical approach based on the condition being treated. Whenever possible, they operate minimally invasively.
- Biopsy: A brain biopsy is the removal of a tiny sample of tissue or fluid from the brain for examination under the microscope. This is done to determine whether a tumor is cancerous. Depending on the treatment plan and location of the growth, the surgeon may do a computer-guided (stereotactic) needle biopsy or remove some tissue during open surgery.
- Craniotomy: This procedure is open brain surgery, performed when it is necessary to remove a piece of the skull to access the brain. This may be done to remove a tumor, blood clot, epileptic tissue, or abnormal blood vessels. Craniotomy may also be done to relieve pressure on the brain after an injury or stroke or to repair a brain injury or skull fracture. At the end of surgery, the piece of skull is put back in place.
- Deep brain stimulation (DBS): Used to treat Parkinson’s disease, tremor, or other neurological conditions, this procedure regulates abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The surgeon implants electrodes in specific problem area. The electrodes are controlled by a pacemaker-like device implanted in the patient’s upper chest.
- Endovascular surgery: Performed in our Cath Lab, these catheter-based procedures use contrast dye to make blood vessels easier to see on a computer monitor. The surgeon then inserts a catheter into a blood vessel and threads the catheter up to the brain with the help of guided imagery. Tiny tools or devices are then inserted through the catheter and used to remove blood clots or repair aneurysms.
- Neuroendoscopy: Sometimes, a problem area in the brain can be reached through the nose, mouth, or very small incisions in the skull. The surgeon uses an endoscope, a narrow tube equipped with a tiny light and video camera. With the help of guided imagery, the surgeon inserts tiny surgical tools through the tube.
- Laser ablation: Some conditions are in parts of the brain that can’t be safely accessed through a craniotomy. In these cases, the surgeon inserts a laser probe through a tiny hole in the skull to destroy a tumor or a patch of epileptic tissue.
- Posterior fossa decompression: This treatment is used on the cerebellum and brainstem, located at the base of the brain to treat a brain abnormality called a Chiari malformation. In this condition, the skull doesn’t have enough room for the cerebellum. The lower part of the cerebellum may be pushed down into the spinal canal. This interferes with the flow of spinal fluid and puts pressure on the brain and spinal cord. In posterior fossa decompression, the surgeon removes a small portion of the bottom of the skull. This creates more space and relieves pressure on the cerebellum and spinal cord.
Expertise
Our surgeons excel at treating the following conditions:
- Tumor
- Meningioma
- Pituitary
- Glioma
- Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)
- Hydrocephalus
- Chiari malformation
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Hematoma
