Several types of neurological surgeries are used to treat medical conditions such as Parkinson's disease, mental health problems such as depression, and vascular problems such as blood clots and aneurysms. These surgeries use electrical stimulation, radiation beams and microsurgical scopes to treat and repair brain and vessel abnormalities and tumors.
Deep Brain Stimulation
A medical device called a neurostimulator is implanted in the body, and electrodes are surgically placed in strategic areas of the brain known to be associated with problematic symptoms. Wires beneath the skin connect the electrodes with the neurostimulator. The neurostimulator acts like a pacemaker, sending signals to the brain that affect mood or behavior.
A form of deep brain stimulation is sometimes used to treat patients with Parkinson's disease, helping them with neuromotor difficulties such as rigid muscles, tremors, stiffness and walking problems.
This type of surgery is also an experimental and controversial treatment for serious depression. Not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration, deep brain stimulation may help to improve mood. More research is needed to determine exactly how deep brain stimulation works to improve depressive symptoms.
Microsurgery
Microsurgery is a type of surgical treatment performed under a high magnification microscope and neuro-endoscope (an instrument with a built-in video camera). It's often performed to treat brain aneurysms. Microsurgery treatment involves a craniotomy (removal of the skull base bone), which exposes the aneurysm to the surgeon. Nonmagnetic titanium clips are then used to repair the aneurysm. Alternatively, a brain artery bypass may be performed to exclude the aneurysm from circulation.
Endovascular Surgery
Endovascular surgery is a minimally invasive surgical treatment that uses catheters and clotting agents to treat problems with blood vessels, including aneurysms. X-ray imaging is used to detect clots based on the path of dyes that have been injected into the blood vessels. Once the location of the clot is identified, the procedure is performed within blood vessels, using catheters to fill the vessels with obstructing stents or particles to prevent the clot from bursting and traveling to the lungs or brain.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery
Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) is a neurological treatment that uses focused radiation beams to treat areas of brain abnormalities or tumors. Precise, high-dose radiation distorts the DNA of the problematic cells rather than destroying or removing them. This treatment causes tumor cells to shrink in size and lose their ability to reproduce. SRS can also be used to treat tangles of blood vessels in the brain, thickening the vessels and closing them off. Radiation is administered in one-day sessions, and may require 18 months to two years to treat benign tumors or vessels. Results usually develop more quickly when treating faster-growing cells such as malignant or metastatic tumors.
