Brain Surgery Evolves: Less Invasive Techniques Offer Safer Treatments
Brain surgery, once a daunting prospect, has evolved significantly with advancements in medical technology. Today, less invasive techniques are available, offering patients safer and more effective treatments.
Traditional open brain surgery, such as craniotomy, involves making an incision in the scalp and a hole in the skull to access the brain. However, not all conditions necessitate such invasive procedures. Minimally invasive techniques, like endonasal endoscopic surgery and neuroendoscopy, are now possible. These methods allow surgeons to operate on portions of the brain without a single incision in or near the head.
Brain surgery is performed to correct physical abnormalities caused by birth defects, disease, injury, or other problems. Conditions that may require brain surgery include abnormal blood vessels, aneurysms, bleeding, blood clots, damage to the dura, epilepsy, abscesses, nerve damage or irritation, Parkinson's disease, pressure after head injury, skull fracture, stroke, brain tumors, and fluid buildup in the brain. Each type of brain surgery is tailored to the specific parts of the brain and the condition being treated, with deep brain stimulation being one example.
The shift towards less invasive brain surgery techniques has significantly reduced risks such as allergic reaction to anesthesia, bleeding, brain swelling, coma, impaired speech, vision, coordination, or balance, infection, memory problems, seizures, and stroke. These advancements in medical technology offer patients safer and more effective treatments for a wide range of brain conditions.
