What is cranial surgery?
It is any intervention that treats problems in the brain or surrounding structures. It may be necessary to treat a tumor, bleeding from trauma, blood vessel problems, infections in the brain, cranial pressure, and certain diseases such as epilepsy or Parkinson’s disease.
Why is it performed?
Brain surgery may be performed if the patient suffers from:
- Pressure on the brain after an injury or stroke.
- Epilepsy
- Hematomas in the brain
- Weaknesses in the blood vessels (brain aneurysm repair)
- Abnormal blood vessels in the brain
- Damage to tissues covering the brain
- Brain tumors
- Bleeding inside the brain
- Severe facial pain or nerve pain
- Skull fracture
- Infections in the brain
- Hydrocephalus
- Certain brain diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, can be alleviated with the implantation of an electronic device.
Surgery can be performed with the appropriate tools through the endoscope.
What does it consist of?
The surgeon makes a surgical incision in the scalp and makes a hole in the skull, extracting a fragment of the bony flap. The time of the operation will depend on the problem to be treated. If the necessary tools are available, the surgeon can make a smaller hole through which a tube with a light and a camera on the end, called an endoscope, is inserted. The surgery can be performed with the appropriate tools through the endoscope. In addition, an MRI or CT scan may help the specialist at the time of surgery.
Preparation for cranial surgery
Before the surgery, the scalp is shaved and the area where the operation is going to be performed is cleaned. For this purpose, the specialist may ask you to wash your hair with a special shampoo. Prior to this, the specialist will examine you and may order imaging and laboratory tests. During the days prior to surgery, the doctor may recommend that you stop taking some anticoagulant medications such as acetylsalicylic acid.
Also, smoking slows down the healing process, so it is recommended that you stop smoking. On the day of surgery, you will not be able to eat or drink anything for 8 to 12 hours before surgery, so you will have to take the medications prescribed by your doctor with a small sip of water.
Care after the operation
The medical team will check that everything went well during the operation. This will be done through the tests they deem necessary, in addition to performing a physical examination of the eyes, ask you to perform simple tasks or ask you a few questions to check that everything is okay. You will be discharged from the hospital 3 to 7 days after the operation, and in some cases patients may need rehabilitation. In addition, the prognosis will depend on the disease being treated and the part of the brain being treated.
Alternatives to this treatment
The alternatives to this treatment will depend on the pathology for which the cranial surgery is to be performed. In some cases, depending on the disease, the specialist may prescribe a treatment according to the disease the patient is suffering from. In the event that this treatment does not work, it will be necessary to consult with a specialist in Neurosurgery to see if surgery can be the solution to the pathology developed in the patient.