Types of Brain Surgery

Brain surgery is used to treat many conditions that affect the brain. It can help reduce symptoms and prevent serious complications. It is usually an important part of treatment for cancer and other types of diseases of the brain.

There are a variety of brain procedures that can be done, including surgery to remove brain tumors or abnormal growths and to repair blood vessels that have been damaged by stroke. There are also less invasive procedures to access the brain through your nose, mouth or tiny cuts in your leg that have fewer risks and allow patients to heal faster.

Some brain surgeries require opening a hole in your skull (craniotomy). The surgeon makes this opening to get rid of a tumor, treat a stroke or reposition a brain aneurysm that has grown.

Other surgical techniques are less invasive and involve moving tissue to gain access to the brain, such as using an endoscope or tubular retractor. This technique can be especially valuable in cases where a surgeon cannot easily access the tumor with a traditional open procedure, such as a craniotomy. See linked here for more details!

The most common form of brain surgery involves making a hole in the skull, or a craniotomy, to remove a tumor. It is the most effective way to remove brain tumors and can be helpful in treating other medical conditions like epilepsy, infections and a stroke. Know more about surgery at https://www.britannica.com/science/general-surgery.

It can also be useful in removing blood vessels that have become damaged during a stroke or in repairing an aneurysm. It is used to treat these problems because it can be safer than open surgery.

Some other types of brain surgery are stereotactic radiosurgery and laser ablation. These treatments use a high-energy beam to destroy or shrink brain tumors or other malignant or benign tumors in the head.

Biopsies are often done during brain surgery to determine the extent of a tumor and determine whether it is cancerous. The surgeon inserts a needle or uses a machine called a stereotactic scanner to guide it into the brain and take a sample of the tumor for examination by a pathologist.

Another type of procedure is the placement of a device called a brain tumor chip, which is inserted into the brain. It can help the doctor find and remove cancerous cells, which may not be visible during other forms of surgery.

In other instances, a surgeon places a thin tube called a shunt through a blood vessel in the body to reach the affected area of the brain. This tube can dissolve a blood clot, prop open a narrowed blood vessel or seal weak blood vessels to stop them from bursting.

The surgeon may then place electrodes or pulse generators along the brain to stimulate specific areas. This can help control seizures and improve a person’s ability to move, speak or think.

The surgeon may also place a device to relieve pressure on the brain or prevent headaches. This procedure can be useful in cases where a patient has a Chiari malformation, a condition that puts pressure on the spinal cord. It can also be used to treat conditions like hydrocephalus or encephalitis, which cause swelling of the brain. Get additional reading here!