Most people think of neurosurgery as a brain surgery but it includes the entire nervous system. The department of Neurosurgery deals with the diagnosis and treatment of patients with injury to, or diseases/disorders of the brain, spinal cord and spinal column, and peripheral nerves within all parts of the body. The neurosurgical care includes both adult and pediatric patients. Dependent upon the nature of the injury or disease a neurological surgeon may provide surgical and/or non-surgical care.

Who is a Neurosurgeon?

A physician who has done specialization in neurosurgery. Neurosurgeons are not doing only brain surgeries, they are medically trained as neurosurgical specialists who can also help patients suffering from back and neck pain as well as a host of other illnesses ranging from trigeminal neuralgia to head injury and Parkinson’s disease.

What is the role of the Neurosurgeon?

The role of a Neurosurgeon is to provide the operative and non-operative management (i.e., prevention, diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, critical care and rehabilitation) of neurological disorders.

About Neurosurgical Technologies

There are a number of technologies which neurosurgeons often use to make diagnosis and plan treatments for patients with neuro problems.

1. Robotic stereotactic assistance brain surgery
Robotic Stereotactic Assistance (ROSA), is a robot-like-device, used by neurosurgeons to place electrodes in the brain to treat epilepsy. The procedure provides precise GPS-like imagery to guide placement of needle-like electrodes inside the brain. Some of the best hospitals in India provide this technology to treat epilepsy.

2.Intraoperative MRI (iMRI)
intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) is the most advanced imaging facility for pediatric patients. The iMRI uses a 3-Tesla magnet, which is incredibly powerful, to generate high-resolution images right in the operating room. The 10-ton unit glides from an adjacent room on industrial-strength rails, then retracts when the scan is finished. Now surgeons do not need to move delicate pediatric patients in and out of the operating room during surgery by bringing the MRI facility into the same operating room.

3. Intraoperative computed tomography (iCT)
This iCT uses advanced medical imaging to improve the accuracy and safety of placement of electrodes in the brain (e.g. deep brain stimulation). An MRI of the patient’s brain is obtained before surgery and during surgery a CT scan provides improved clarity for surgeons to place electrodes.

4. Stereotactic computer assisted neurosurgery
Stereotactic, is a medical term used to describe a procedure performed in precise and defined three-dimensional (3D) space using a computer system. The ability to perform computer assisted neurosurgery allows for maximal precision to plan for minimally invasive surgical interventions for movement disorders, epilepsy, brain tumors and other intracranial disorders.