Brain Conditions

Common Brain Conditions and Procedures Include:

Complex Brain Tumors 

Our surgeons treat complex brain tumors including but not limited to brain metastasis (tumors that migrate to the brain from other parts of the body [i.e., breast, lung, colon, skin, etc]) as well as tumors that arise from the brain tissues themselves (i.e. meningiomas, pituitary tumors, gliomas/astrocytomas).

Vagus Nerve Stimulation

A vagus nerve stimulator is an implantable device used to send electrical impulses to the vagus nerve to treat epilepsy and in some cases even depression.  
Usually your neurologist will determine if indeed a Vagus nerve stimulator is right for you.  

Our surgeons at SCL Health Medical Group - Lutheran Neurosurgery have experience with the various different types of stimulators and would be happy to sit down with you and discuss what the surgery entails. 

Cerebral Aneurysms 

A cerebral aneurysm (intracranial aneurysm) is an abnormal dilation (ballooning) of an artery supplying the brain with blood. This is caused by weakening of the innermost layer of the artery called the “intima” over time. There are many causes of cerebral aneurysms and some may require treatment to avoid rupture. If an aneurysm ruptures within the brain, it can cause a stroke (hemorrhagic stroke).  

This can leave you with permanent neurological impairment and in some cases death. If you have been diagnosed with an aneurysm, or have family members that have had cerebral aneurysms, our surgeons at SCL Health Medical Group - Lutheran Neurosurgery are able to advise you on the best management for treating them using a multidisciplinary approach with our endovascular neuro-radiology colleagues.  

Chiari Malformation

A Chiari malformation is a condition in which a part of the brain (cerebellar tonsils) creates compression  through the opening at the base of the skull where the brain meets the spinal cord. Many people are born with this but usually become symptomatic later in life.  

There are several type of Chiari malformations and some needed to be treated surgically in  order to prevent further neurological impairment and/or improve symptoms such as:

• headaches
• neck pain
• hearing or balance problems
• numbness
• muscular weakness or tingling
• dizziness
• difficulty swallowing or speaking
• vomiting

Our surgeons at SCL Health Medical Group - Lutheran Neurosurgery are able to evaluate your condition and treat it either conservatively or surgically using treatment protocols that are designed specifically to treat you!  

Epilepsy Surgery

In certain cases, once the root cause of a seizure is identified, surgery can be performed to remove or alter the structure in the brain that is causing the seizures to occur.  
Seizure surgery is most effective when the cause of the seizures originates in a single location in the brain.  

Our surgeons at SCL Health Medical Group - Lutheran Neurosurgery work very closely with the epileptologists (seizure doctors) to identify whether or not seizure surgery is right for you.  

Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) occur in or around the brain. This is an abnormal entanglement of blood vessels in which blood bypasses normal brain tissue and the oxygen carrying vessels (arteries) go directly to the non-oxygen carrying blood vessels (veins). This condition is usually congenital and most people do not know that they have one unless it becomes symptomatic or is identified incidentally. The condition occurs in about 1% of the population. Conditions such as AVMs can cause stroke, paralysis, seizures, permanent or temporary neurological deficits and even death if left untreated.

Facial Pain (Trigeminal neuralgia)

Trigeminal neuralgia is a type of nerve pain that affects your face. 

Surgical techniques used to treat trigeminal neuralgia may include craniotomy for microvascular decompression. This is a surgery to relieve abnormal pressure of a cranial nerve causing trigeminal neuralgia, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, or hemifacial pain/spasm.

This procedure involves opening the skull and inserting a small piece of felt (cotton) between the nerve and the offending artery in order to allow distance between the two structures so that the pain can be eliminated.  

Peripheral Nerve Conditions and Procedures Include:

• Carpal Tunnel Release 
  
  
• Ulnar Nerve Decompressions and Transpositions 
  
  
• Peripheral Nerve Tumor
  
  As in most other parts of the body, tumors can arise from virtually any structure.  A schwannoma is a particular type of tumor that arises in the peripheral nervous system as well as in cranial nerves.
  
  This type of tumor is a “nerve sheath tumor” and arises from the Schwann cells which aid in the conduction of signals down through the nerve.  Our surgeons at SCL Health Medical Group Neurosurgery are well-versed in managing the various types of peripheral nervous system tumors and compression syndromes alike. Working hand-in-hand with your neurologist or primary care physician, surgery can be very helpful when conservative measures fail.