Brain Tumors and Other Neurosurgical Conditions

Conditions affecting the brain and surrounding structures may cause headache, seizures, weakness, visual or speech problems, balance difficulties and personality change. Some conditions cause no symptoms and are discovered incidentally on imaging performed for another reason.

Treatment is not decided by the diagnosis alone. The type, size, location and growth rate of the lesion, the patient’s age and general health, and the symptoms it causes are assessed together.

Brain Tumors

Brain tumors may be benign or malignant. They may arise from brain tissue, the meninges, nerves or the pituitary gland, or may result from cancer spreading to the brain from another part of the body.

Not every brain tumor requires surgery. Some small tumors that cause no symptoms and show no growth can be monitored with regular MRI examinations. When treatment is needed, surgery, Gamma Knife radiosurgery, radiotherapy, medication or a combination of these approaches may be considered.

The aims of surgery may include obtaining tissue for diagnosis, removing as much tumor as is safely possible, relieving pressure on the brain and preserving neurological function.

Cerebrovascular Conditions

Brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and cavernomas arise from blood vessels. They may present with bleeding, seizures, headache or neurological loss, or may be discovered incidentally.

Treatment options include microsurgery, endovascular procedures performed through the blood vessels, Gamma Knife radiosurgery or imaging follow-up. The most appropriate approach depends on the type, size and location of the vascular condition and its risk of bleeding.

Other Neurosurgical Conditions

Other conditions within the field of neurosurgery include:

• Hydrocephalus and normal-pressure hydrocephalus
• Brain cysts
• Chiari malformation
• Drug-resistant epilepsy
• Brain abscesses
• Head injuries and intracranial bleeding
• Skull-base conditions
• Selected congenital brain abnormalities

In hydrocephalus, a shunt or endoscopic procedure may be used to drain accumulated cerebrospinal fluid. In selected patients with Chiari malformation, surgery may be considered to relieve pressure on the brain and spinal cord.