Neurosurgical Treatments and What They Are All About
Nerves transmit information from our brain to our body parts and vice versa. Therefore, conditions affecting the spine and nerves are essential and require specialized care. Fortunately, experts in specialized facilities dealing only with neurological problems have emerged in recent years. Ali H. Mesiwala, MD, FAANS is a leading expert in neurological care and has vast experience dealing with its conditions. More about these treatments and their benefits are discussed below.
What is Neurosurgery?
This medical specialty focuses on diagnosing, managing, and treating people with disorders or injuries to the spinal cord, brain, spinal column, and peripheral nerves around the body. This care is for both pediatric and adult patients.
A neurosurgeon is a physician who focuses on brain surgery but is also trained to assist patients affected by the neck, back pain, and other conditions like head injury, trigeminal neuralgia, and Parkinson’s disease.
Neurosurgeons are responsible for operative and nonoperative management of neurological conditions. This involves diagnosis, prevention, evaluation, critical care, treatment, and rehabilitation of these disorders. Other medical professionals consult neurosurgeons due to their vast knowledge of neurological diseases.
Types of Neurosurgical Procedures
Neurosurgeons often handle conditions associated with the peripheral and central nervous systems. This usually involves issues with the spine and brain.
A neurosurgeon may perform epilepsy neurosurgery, anterior cervical discectomy, lumbar puncture, craniotomy, laminectomy, and Chiari decompression. Let’s discuss a few of those in more detail.
Epilepsy neurosurgery
This operation is for persons with epilepsy. This is especially crucial for those with severe seizures with no nonsurgical treatment relief. Most treatment plans first involve prescribed medications from neurologists for epilepsy and associated attacks. The surgery comes as a last option if other methods are not effective. This consists in modifying or removing the part of the brain that produces severe seizures that may be fatal.
Anterior cervical discectomy
This common surgical method aims at dealing with herniated discs found in the neck. The procedure provides relief by eliminating the herniated discs. When nonsurgical treatment methods cannot offer pain relief, this surgery is recommended.
Craniotomy
This operation involves getting rid of a portion of the skull bone to enable direct access to the brain. Various neurological problems may be treated this way including strokes in the brain. This procedure saves lives in many instances. The eliminated part of the skull is replaced to reduce the operation’s visible long-term effects.
Chiari decompression
This procedure aims to treat Arnold-Chiari malformation characterized by the inability to balance correctly. The operation involves eliminating a bone from behind the skull to increase the size of the foramen magnum. This, in turn, enhances coordination and balance in many cases.
Lumbar puncture
This relatively complex neurosurgical method is referred to as a spinal tap. This operation provides a diagnosis to detect any signs of problems facing the central nervous system in the patient. An experienced neurologist performs the safe procedure relatively simply, with minimal risks.
Conditions of your nervous system are sensitive, and if not treated with care, they may result in significant adverse changes in your body with long-term effects. For any neurological inquiries, visit us online, or call our offices in San Bernardino, CA.