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Neurosurgery

 
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Neurosurgery
 
 
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Neurosurgery is the surgical
Surgery

Surgery is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason....
 discipline focused on treating those central
Central nervous system

The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that functions to coordinate the activity of all parts of the bodies of multicellular organisms....
, peripheral nervous system
Peripheral nervous system

The peripheral nervous system resides or extends outside the central nervous system , which consists of the brain and spinal cord. The main function of the PNS is to connect the CNS to the limbs and organs....
 and spinal column diseases amenable to surgical intervention. In the United States there are only about 3,000 neurosurgeons.

Modern Neurosurgery
Modern neurosurgery has benefited greatly from advances in computer assisted imaging (computed tomography
Computed tomography

Computed tomography is a medical imaging method employing tomography. Geometry Processing is used to generate a stereoscopy of the inside of an object from a large series of two-dimensional X-ray images taken around a single axis of rotation....
 (CT), magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging

GaneshMagnetic resonance imaging , or nuclear magnetic resonance imaging , is primarily a medical imaging technique most commonly used in radiology to visualize the structure and function of the body....
 (MRI), positron emission tomography
Positron emission tomography

Positron emission tomography is a nuclear medicine medical imaging technique which produces a three-dimensional image or picture of functional processes in the body....
 (PET), magnetoencephalography
Magnetoencephalography

Magnetoencephalography is an imaging technique used to measure the magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the human brain via extremely sensitive devices such as SQUID ....
 (MEG)) and the development of stereotactic surgery
Stereotactic surgery

Stereotactic surgery or stereotaxy is a minimally-invasive form of surgery intervention which makes use of a three-dimensional coordinates system to locate small targets inside the body and to perform on them some action such as ablation , biopsy, lesion, injection, Deep brain stimulation, implantation, radiosurgery etc....
.






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Encyclopedia


Parkinson Surgery
Neurosurgery is the surgical
Surgery

Surgery is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason....
 discipline focused on treating those central
Central nervous system

The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that functions to coordinate the activity of all parts of the bodies of multicellular organisms....
, peripheral nervous system
Peripheral nervous system

The peripheral nervous system resides or extends outside the central nervous system , which consists of the brain and spinal cord. The main function of the PNS is to connect the CNS to the limbs and organs....
 and spinal column diseases amenable to surgical intervention. In the United States there are only about 3,000 neurosurgeons.

Modern Neurosurgery


Modern neurosurgery has benefited greatly from advances in computer assisted imaging (computed tomography
Computed tomography

Computed tomography is a medical imaging method employing tomography. Geometry Processing is used to generate a stereoscopy of the inside of an object from a large series of two-dimensional X-ray images taken around a single axis of rotation....
 (CT), magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging

GaneshMagnetic resonance imaging , or nuclear magnetic resonance imaging , is primarily a medical imaging technique most commonly used in radiology to visualize the structure and function of the body....
 (MRI), positron emission tomography
Positron emission tomography

Positron emission tomography is a nuclear medicine medical imaging technique which produces a three-dimensional image or picture of functional processes in the body....
 (PET), magnetoencephalography
Magnetoencephalography

Magnetoencephalography is an imaging technique used to measure the magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the human brain via extremely sensitive devices such as SQUID ....
 (MEG)) and the development of stereotactic surgery
Stereotactic surgery

Stereotactic surgery or stereotaxy is a minimally-invasive form of surgery intervention which makes use of a three-dimensional coordinates system to locate small targets inside the body and to perform on them some action such as ablation , biopsy, lesion, injection, Deep brain stimulation, implantation, radiosurgery etc....
. Some neurosurgical procedures even involve the use of MRI and functional MRI intraoperatively. As one of the most research-oriented specialties of medicine, the scope of neurosurgery has expanded as new diagnostic techniques allow surgeons to perform more complicated surgeries. Some of the most recent and innovative advances have been radiosurgery
Radiosurgery

Radiosurgery, also known as stereotactic radiotherapy, is a medical procedure which allows Non-invasive treatment of benign and malignant conditions, arteriovenous malformation , and some functional disorders by means of directed beams of ionizing radiation....
 using the gamma knife
Gamma knife

A gamma knife is a device used to treat brain tumors with a high dose of radiation therapy in one day. The device was invented by Lars Leksell, a Swedish neurosurgeon, in 1967 at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden....
 for tumor treatment and endovascular surgery
Endovascular surgery

Endovascular surgery is a form of minimally invasive procedure surgery that was designed to access many regions of the body via major blood vessels....
 for the clipping of aneurysms.

Risks

There are many risks to neurosurgery. Any operation dealing with the brain or spinal cord can cause paralysis
Paralysis

Paralysis is the complete loss of muscle function for one or more muscle groups. Paralysis can cause loss of feeling or loss of mobility in the affected area....
 (systemic), brain damage
Brain damage

Brain damage, or acquired brain injury, is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells....
, infection
Infection

An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. In an infection, the infecting organism seeks to utilize the host resources to multiply ....
, psychosis
Psychosis

Psychosis , with adjective psychotic, literally means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatry term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"....
 or death
Death

Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that define a life organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby....
.

Conditions

Neurosurgical conditions include primarily brain
Human brain

The human brain is the center of the human nervous system and is a highly complex organ. It has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over five times as large as the "average brain" of a mammal with the same body size....
, spinal cord
Spinal cord

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of neuron and glia that extends from the brain. The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system....
, vertebral column and peripheral nerve
Peripheral nervous system

The peripheral nervous system resides or extends outside the central nervous system , which consists of the brain and spinal cord. The main function of the PNS is to connect the CNS to the limbs and organs....
 disorders.

Conditions treated by neurosurgeons include:

  • Chiari Malformations
  • Spinal disc herniation
    Spinal disc herniation

    A spinal disc herniation ', incorrectly called a "slipped disc", is a medical condition affecting the Vertebral column, in which a tear in the outer, fibrous ring of an intervertebral disc ' allows the soft, central portion to hernia....
  • Spinal stenosis
    Spinal stenosis

    Spinal stenosis is a medical condition in which the spinal canal narrows and compresses the spinal cord and nerves. This is usually due to the natural process of spinal degeneration that occurs with aging....
  • Hydrocephalus
    Hydrocephalus

    Hydrocephalus is a term derived from the Greek words "hydro" meaning water, and "cephalus" meaning head, and this condition is sometimes known as "water on the brain"....
  • Head trauma (brain hemorrhages, skull fractures, etc.)
  • Spinal cord
    Spinal cord

    The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of neuron and glia that extends from the brain. The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system....
     trauma
    Physical trauma

    Physical trauma refers to a body injury. A trauma patient is someone who has suffered serious and life-threatening physical injury with the potential for secondary complications such as Shock , respiratory failure and death....
  • Traumatic injuries
    Physical trauma

    Physical trauma refers to a body injury. A trauma patient is someone who has suffered serious and life-threatening physical injury with the potential for secondary complications such as Shock , respiratory failure and death....
     of peripheral nerves
    Peripheral nervous system

    The peripheral nervous system resides or extends outside the central nervous system , which consists of the brain and spinal cord. The main function of the PNS is to connect the CNS to the limbs and organs....
  • Brain tumor
    Brain tumor

    A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells within the brain or inside the skull, which can be cancerous or non-cancerous .It is defined as any cranium tumor created by abnormal and uncontrolled Mitosis, normally either in the brain itself , in the cranial nerves , in the brain envelopes , skull, pituitary and pineal gland, or spread from...
    s
  • Infections and infestations
  • Tumours of the spine
    Vertebral column

    In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column of 24 vertebrae, the sacrum, intervertebral discs, and the coccyx situated in the dorsum aspect of the torso, separated by spinal discs....
    , spinal cord
    Spinal cord

    The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of neuron and glia that extends from the brain. The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system....
     and peripheral nerves
    Peripheral nervous system

    The peripheral nervous system resides or extends outside the central nervous system , which consists of the brain and spinal cord. The main function of the PNS is to connect the CNS to the limbs and organs....
  • Cerebral aneurysm
    Cerebral aneurysm

    A cerebral aneurysm or brain aneurysm is a cerebrovascular disease disorder in which weakness in the wall of a brain artery or vein causes a localized vasodilation or ballooning of the blood vessel....
    s
  • Stroke
    Stroke

    A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. According to the National Stroke Association, a "stroke" occurs when a blood clot blocks and artery or a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain....
    , including hemorrhagic stroke
    Stroke

    A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. According to the National Stroke Association, a "stroke" occurs when a blood clot blocks and artery or a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain....
     and ischemic stroke
    Stroke

    A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. According to the National Stroke Association, a "stroke" occurs when a blood clot blocks and artery or a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain....
  • Intracerebral hemorrhage, such as subarachnoid hemorrhage
    Subarachnoid hemorrhage

    A subarachnoid hemorrhage is bleeding into the subarachnoid space?the area between the arachnoid and the pia mater surrounding the brain. This may occur spontaneously, usually from a ruptured cerebral aneurysm, or may result from head injury....
    , intraparenchymal, and intraventricular hemorrhages
  • Some forms of pharmacologically resistant epilepsy
    Epilepsy

    Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizure s. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain....
  • Some forms of movement disorder
    Movement disorder

    Movement disorders include:* Akathisia* Akinesia * Athetosis * Ataxia* Ballismus ** Hemiballismus * Bradykinesia * Cerebral palsy* Chorea ...
    s (advanced Parkinson's disease
    Parkinson's disease

    Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer's motor skills and speech, as well as other functions....
    , chorea
    Chorea

    Chorea may refer to:*Chorea , ancient Greek dance*Chorea , medical disorder involving involuntary movement...
    ) this involves the use of specially developed minimally invasive stereotactic
    Stereotaxy

    Stereotaxy from Wiktionary:Stereo meaning solidity, and wiktionary:tactile meaning touch) refers to any technique that involves the recording and reproducing of three-dimensional Haptic perception information or creating an illusion of depth to the sense of touch within an otherwise-flat surface....
     techniques (functional, stereotactic neurosurgery) such as ablative surgery and deep brain stimulation
    Deep brain stimulation

    In neurotechnology, deep brain stimulation is a surgery treatment involving the implantation of a medical device called a brain pacemaker, which sends electrical impulses to specific parts of the brain....
     surgery
  • Intractable pain of cancer or trauma patients and cranial/peripheral nerve pain
  • Some forms of intractable psychiatric disorders
  • Malformations of the nervous system
    Nervous system

    The nervous system is a Neural network of specialized cells that communicate information about an animal's surroundings and itself. It processes this information and causes reactions in other parts of the body....
  • Carotid artery stenosis
    Carotid artery stenosis

    Carotid stenosis is a narrowing or constriction of the inner wall, or lumen, of the carotid artery.The carotid artery is the large artery whose pulse can be felt on both sides of the neck under the jaw....
  • Vascular malformations (i.e., arteriovenous malformation
    Arteriovenous malformation

    Arteriovenous malformation or AVM in the majority of cases is a congenital disorder consisting of a connection between veins and arteries, this pathology is universally known because of its occurrence in the central nervous system, but can appear in any location....
    s, venous angiomas, cavernous angioma
    Cavernous angioma

    Cavernous angioma, also known as cerebral cavernous malformation , cavernous haemangioma, and cavernoma, is a vascular disorder of the central nervous system that may appear either sporadically or exhibit autosomal dominant inheritance....
    s, capillary telangectasias) of the brain and spinal cord
  • Peripheral neuropathies such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
    Carpal tunnel syndrome

    Carpal tunnel syndrome , or median neuropathy at the wrist, is a medical condition in which the median nerve is compressed at the wrist, leading to paresthesias, numbness and muscle weakness in the hand....
     and ulnar neuropathy
  • Moyamoya disease
  • Congenital malformations of the nervous system, including spina bifida
    Spina bifida

    Spina bifida is a developmental birth defect involving the neural tube: incomplete closure of the embryonic neural tube results in an incompletely formed spinal cord....
     and craniosynostosis
    Craniosynostosis

    Craniosynostosis, is a medical condition in which some or all of the cranial suturess in the skull of an infant or child close too early, causing problems with normal human brain and skull growth....