Services offered at our Network Hospitals for the treatment of various types of Brain and Neurological Disorders

The neurologists and the neurosurgeons at our network hospitals in India take a multidisciplinary approach to care, using the latest research and technology. The modern surgical facilities at these hospitals include state-of-the-art dedicated operating rooms equipped for most advanced and latest intraoperative computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines. The operating rooms are designed for both open and endovascular neurosurgery.

A lot of focus is given on new innovations that extend and improve medical care and patients' quality of life.

The expert team of neurologist, neurosurgeons and paramedical offers compassionate, world-class diagnosis and treatment for patients with all types of neurological problems like brain tumours, vascular diseases, movement disorders, epilepsy, chronic pain and traumatic brain injuries.

Our Network Hospitals in India use the most innovative technologies and latest research to deliver the best outcomes for our patients.

Services offered at ourNetwork Hospitals for the treatment of various types of Brain and NeurologicalDisorders

·         Highly advanced surgeries for the patients with Vascular Malformations, Cerebral Aneurysms, Complex Craniofacial Malignancies andAcoustic Tumours

·         Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancerous Brain Tumours with complete range of treatment options that include surgery, radiosurgery , radiation therapy, chemotherapy and other cancer treatments

·         Deep Brain Stimulation ( DBS) for patients with Parkinson's Disease and tremors from other neurological conditions

·         Paediatric neurologists and neurosurgeons who specialize in the surgical management of a wide range of paediatric diseases including brain tumours, epilepsy, spinal bifida and hydrocephalus

·         Minimally Invasive Brian Surgeriesusing the most sophisticated 3-D image-guided technology

Why should you choose ourNetwork Hospitals in India for Brain Surgery?

There are many reasons why so many patients from all over the world come to our network hospitals in India for various types of treatments related to Brain and other Neurological disorders. Following are the most common reasons.

Highly Skilled andExperienced Neurosurgeons and Neurologists

Our Network Hospitals in India have dedicated Neurology and Neurosurgery Department. The neurosurgeons operate with the most advanced technology systems. They use an image-guided management system for an improved perspective on the progress of complex brain surgeries. It can also help reduce the need for patients to undergo additional surgeries. The neurosurgeons have the expertise in Computer-assisted brain surgery, stereotactic radiosurgery, Awake Brain Surgery, Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) and other complex surgical procedures related to brain and nervous system. They have been trained and have worked in some of the leading Brain Surgery Centres across the world. They work with a multi-disciplinary team of doctors that consists of neurologists, neuro-oncologists), neuroradiologists, orthopaedicsurgeons, ENT specialists, endocrinologists, general medicine and rehabilitation, pain medicine, and other areas to provide the most appropriate treatment for your condition.

Intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (iMRI)

The neurosurgeons at our network hospitals in India use a high-resolution intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) while performing brain surgeries. This helps them to see the brain tumours while performing surgery thereby greatly reducing the risk of damaging other parts of the brain. Moreover this also helps to confirm the successful removal of the entire tumour. The Intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) is used during the surgery to remove brain tumors and pituitary tumors with greater accuracy and safety. It is also used to place deep brain stimulator systems .

Computer-assisted Brain Surgery

In Computer-assisted Brain Surgery, various imaging technologies, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computerized Tomography (CT) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) are used to create a 3-D model of the brain. The computer system precisely guides the neurosurgeon to the area/s of your brain requiring treatment. This helps the neurosurgeons to plan the safest way to treat your condition with greater degree of accuracy. The computer-assisted surgery helps a lot in performing Awake Brain Surgery. Computer-assisted techniques is also be usedin treating brain tumours and other lesions with precisely focused beams of radiation using stereotactic radiosurgery.

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)

Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) uses precisely focused radiation beams to treat brain tumours and other abnormal growths in the brain. The advantage of modern Stereotactic Radiosurgery is, it delivers high doses of radiation to the tumour with minimal exposure to surrounding healthy tissue. A multidisciplinary team of experts plan the treatment and carefully monitor doses to avoid the risk of radiation overexposure.Unlike traditional radiation therapy, in this treatment, no incision is made. This minimizes the chances of infection or excessive bleeding. A plan has to be developed before undergoing this surgery. A multi-disciplinary team of doctors plan an appropriate treatment for you depending on thetype of tumour, location and size.

Awake Brain Surgery

In an Awake Brain Surgery you're awake during the surgery. Awake Brain Surgery is done by expert brain surgeons to treat some brain conditions such asbrain tumors or epileptic seizures. Awake Brain Surgery allows yourbrain surgeon to work directly with you in order to locate critical functional tissue of the brain. This process is called mapping. Once the brain has been exposed, you will be awakened and the brain is stimulated to determine the function of each area of tissue. You may be awake during surgery to respond to your surgeon. Your responses will help the surgeon to ensure that he is treating the precise area of your brain that needs surgery. Awake Brain Surgery is mainly done if your tumor is near the parts of your brain that control movement or speech. Awake Brain Surgery helps in lowering the risk of damage to functional areas of your brain. In Awake brain surgery the important areas of the brain can be avoided and preserved during surgery.

Minimally Invasive Brain Surgery

Minimally invasive brain surgeries are commonly done at our network hospitals in India. The hospitals have expert surgeons who specialise in minimally invasive brain surgery techniques. In a minimally invasive brain surgery , the brain surgeons insert two small tubes and use what are called endoscopes. One tube carries a fibre optic camera and light source, the other carries miniaturized surgical instruments. The surgeons operate by watching a TV monitor.

In the traditional way of doing a brain tumour surgery, a more invasive approach was used to remove tumors close to the brainstem. The surgery took much longer time and was performed through an incision behind and below the ear. This took hours of bone drilling to reach the tumor. Since it was an open surgery, the risks were more. Nowadays, with the development of technology and expertise, some of the brain surgeries can be done through nose. The technique is called the endoscopic expanded endonasal brain tumour surgery. 

This technique allows neurosurgeons to pass a camera and specialized surgical instruments to the back of the nasal passage and directly to various regions of the skull base, without scarring and with a shorter recovery. Even though this technique was first described decades ago for pituitary tumor surgery, but recent advancements have helped to use the endonasal approach to safely remove tumors in a variety of other critical skull-base locations. There are very few surgeons in the world who have the expertise to use this technique in brain tumour surgery. At our network hospitals in India, you will find some expert neurosurgeons who have successfully performed many brain tumour surgeries using this technique. Some of the benefits of Endoscopic TransnasalBrain Tumour Surgery are No Brain Retraction, Faster Recovery Time, No Facial Scars, Fewer Complications and shorter Hospital Stays.

Advanced DiagnosticFacilities

Our network hospitals in India provide sophisticated diagnostic services for diagnosing or detecting a wide range of brain and other neurological disorders and conditions. Some of the advanced diagnostic facilities available at our network hospitals in India are as follows.

·         

  Electroencephalograms (EEG): Electroencephalograms or EEG is a non-invasive diagnostic procedure that is done to study the electrical activity of the brain. Electroencephalograms or EEG helps to diagnose seizure disorders, stroke, headaches, dizziness and fainting episodes.

·        

     Evoked Potentials: Evoked potentials studies help to measure the electrical signals along nerve pathways.Evoked potentials studies are used to diagnose visual losses, hearing losses, and nerve damage or degeneration within the spinal cord or nerve roots.

·         

    Nerve Conduction Studies: Nerve conduction velocity test measures how quickly electrical impulses move along a nerve and it is often done with electromyogram to exclude or detect muscle and nerve disorders.

·         

        Electromyography: Electromyography is used diagnose neuromuscular disorders such as Motor Neuron Disease, neuropathy, nerve damage and muscle damage.

·         

      Brain Suite System: To treat complex neurosurgical casesefficiently and safely, our network hospitals in India are equipped with an advanced Brain Suite System. The Brain Suite System allows high-resolution MRI images to be taken while performing the surgery. This helps the brain or neurosurgeons to remove complex tumours without harming the critical brain tissues.

·         

    Flat Panel DSA with 3D technology: This diagnostic technology provides high-resolution 3D images. You will have a much decreasedexposure toradiation.

·         

     Other Diagnostic Facilities: Isocentric C Arm,Neurophysiology Laboratory, Cerebral Angiography, Computed Tomography Scan (CT Scan), Intracranial pressure monitoring, Lumbar puncture, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Myleogram, NeuroHisto Pathology, Pathology, Transcranial Doppler, Support Services, 1.5 T MRI ,64-slice CT facilities, functional MRI, MRI spectroscopy, diffusion/perfusion MRI etc.

For more information visit:          http://www.medworldindia.com     
                    https://www.facebook.com/medworld.india

Please scan and email your medical reports  to us at care@medworldindia.com and we shall get you a Free Medical Opinion from India’s Best Doctors.

Call Us : +91-9811058159

Mail Us : care@medworldindia.com

The brain tumors found most often in children - Childhood Brain Tumor Facts

Childhood Brain Tumor Facts

Brain and spine tumors are the second most common cancers in children after leukemia. 

Brain Has Crucial Roles

The brain controls many important facets of everyday life, including emotions, thought, speech, vision, hearing and movement. The brain sends messages throughout the body via the spinal cord and cranial nerves in the head. The network of the brain and spinal cord is called the central nervous system (CNS). Tumors can develop in the spinal cord and cranial nerves.

The hard, bony skull protects the brain, and the bones (vertebrae) of the spine protect the spinal cord. A liquid called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) surrounds both the brain and the spinal cord.

The brain has four main parts:

Cerebrum: The outer and largest part of the brain. It has two halves called hemispheres and is responsible for:

• Emotions
• Reasoning
• Language
• Movement of muscles
• Senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, touch
• Perception of pain

Basal ganglia: Found deeper inside the brain, these play a part in muscle movement.

Cerebellum: At the back of the brain, this section helps control and coordinate movement, such as walking and swallowing.

Brain stem: Located at the base of the brain, the brain stem has nerve fibers that carry messages between the cerebrum and the rest of the body. A small but important area, the brain stem plays a part in breathing and heartbeat.

Childhood Brain Tumor Types

Because the brain and spinal cord are made up of many kinds of tissues and cells, many types of tumors – both benign and malignant– can develop in these areas. These tumors may require different treatment and have different outlooks.

Even when brain tumors are benign, they can cause serious problems. Although non-cancerous brain tumors usually grow slower than cancerous brain tumors, they may damage and press against normal brain tissue or the spine as they grow.

Childhood brain and spinal cord tumors differ from adult tumors. The location where they develop, the type of cell in which they develop, and their treatment and outlook often are different.

Brain tumors are classified by the types of cells they contain. This determines how they grow and what kind of treatment they require.

The brain tumors found most often in children are the following.

Medulloblastoma

Astrocytoma: These form in the cerebrum in cells called astrocytes. They usually grow slowly, but higher-grade tumors spread more quickly. Since they mix with normal brain tissue, they can be difficult to remove surgically. They may spread along pathways of CSF but seldom spread outside the brain or spinal cord. Glioblastoma is the highest grade astrocytoma and the fastest growing.

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma: This dangerous tumor often has a poor prognosis. It grows in a vital area of the brain called the pons, which is in the brain stem.

Ependymomas develop in the brain lining, usually in the posterior fossa or along the spinal cord in glial cells. About five percent of childhood brain tumors are ependymomas. They begin in cells that line the ventricles or central canal of the spine. Ependymomas do not usually spread outside the brain or spinal cord, but they may block CSF, causing hydrocephalus.

Primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET): These aggressive tumors can develop anywhere in the brain, but they are usually in the frontal, temporal or parietal lobes.

Pineoblastomas: A type of PNET that develops in pineal gland and can be difficult to treat.

Craniopharyngiomas: These slow-growing tumors start above the pituitary gland but below the brain. They may press on the pituitary gland and hypothalamus, causing hormone problems. Since they start near the optic nerves, they can cause vision problems and be difficult to remove without damaging vision.  

Mixed glial and neuronal tumors: Certain tumors that develop in children and young adults (and rarely in older adults) have both glial and neuronal cell components. They tend to have a fairly good prognosis.

• Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) and dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNETs) look as if they could grow quickly when viewed under the microscope, but these tumors tend to be fairly benign, and most are cured by surgery alone.
• Ganglioglioma is a type of tumor that has both mature neurons and glial cells. Most can be cured by surgery alone or surgery combined with radiation therapy.

Choroid plexus tumors: These rare tumors start in the choroid plexus within the ventricles of the brain. Most are benign and can be removed by surgery.

Other tumors that start in or near the brain

Meningiomas: These tumors begin in the meninges, the tissue around the outer part of the brain and spine. They may press on the brain or spinal cord. Meningiomas are almost always benign and are usually cured by surgery. If they are near vital structures in the brain, they may need additional treatment.

Chordomas start in the bone at the base of the skull or at the lower end of the spine. They can injure the nervous system by pressing on it. They usually do not spread to other areas.

Germ cell tumors: Developing from germ cells, which normally form eggs in women and sperm in men, these are rare tumors. They form in the fetus when germ cells move to abnormal locations, including the brain. Germ cell tumors of the nervous system are usually found in children, most commonly in the pineal gland or above the pituitary gland.

Brain metastases: Cancers that metastasize (spread) to the brain from other areas of the body are called metastases. These are treated differently than primary brain cancers.