Department of Neurosurgery

Neurosurgery is a medical specialty that employs surgical intervention to treat neurosurgery or neurosurgical central and peripheral nervous system disorders. Medical doctors who specialize in this field are called neurosurgeons. Following this specialty training, secondary specialization branches include spinal, functional, vascular, pediatric, and oncological neurosurgery (tumor surgery). Cerebrovascular conditions (cerebral aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, carotid stenosis, cerebral hemorrhages, and cerebrovascular occlusions) are treated with endovascular, or interventional neuroradiology and microsurgical operations .  Adult and pediatric brain and nerve tumors are treated surgically using microsurgical and endoscopic procedures. Surgeries are performed with the presence of an ENT specialist on the surgical team, particularly in the case of pituitary and skull base tumors. Surgical intervention is performed in traumatic diseases of the spine such as accidents and injuries, and in congenital diseases such as spinal canal narrowing and waist slippage. Diseases such as herniated disc and cervical disc are treated by neurosurgeons. Lumbar hernia, cervical disc hernia and spinal consolidation (instrumentation) surgeries are performed with microsurgical and endoscopic surgical methods. Radiological interventional treatments can also be utilized for minimally invasive pain interventions. Congenital and acquired head and spine diseases include tumors, vascular diseases, hydrocephalus, which is defined as the accumulation of brain water in the head, and “spinal dysrafism”, that is, waist opening, which is more common especially in the neonatal period. Without delay, emergency measures are administered to individuals suffering from head trauma. In addition, they are simultaneously referred to physical therapy and rehabilitation programs. The brain, spinal cord, and neurosurgery team works in conjunction with the emergency department and intensive care unit for 24 hours to provide rapid diagnosis and ongoing care of all types of trauma (head trauma, spinal trauma, etc.) that may develop as a result of various incidents. Brain stimulation is used to treat diseases that diminish quality of life, such as Parkinson’s and other involuntary movement disorders. Spasticity that develops later in life owing to hereditary reasons or as a result of severe head trauma is treated with “selective dorsal rhizotomy” or “baclofen pump placement” procedures. Epilepsy surgery is performed in cases of epilepsy in whom medication treatment has failed. The study committee, which includes neurologists, psychiatrists, and physical therapists, determines if surgical therapy is essential or useful for all functional illnesses after doing the requisite examinations.

Neuronavigation: Surgeries in brain, spinal cord and nerve surgery are performed with a neuronavigation system that provides 3D imaging. This method is used in brain tumor biopsy and surgeries,  spine and spinal cord surgery, and Parkinson’s surgery. In this system, the use of images of the patient taken before or during surgery is called “neuronavigation”.  In this method, the patient’s MRI is taken before surgery and transferred to the neuronavigation device. The anatomical or physiological image obtained from the patient’s MRI can be used during surgery. Thus, various risk areas in the patient’s brain or spinal cord can be seen with real-time neuronavigation during surgery and planning is made accordingly. This technology, which provides a highly accurate approach to the targeted area in the brain and spine, minimizes the damage that may occur in healthy tissue during the operation.

The neurologist receives a signal from electrodes placed on the patient’s face, arms, and legs before surgery in tumors located in the sensitive area of the brain, aneurysm or AVM surgery, spinal cord tumors, and sensitive spinal surgery such as scoliosis. When the signal drops, the surgeon receives a warning that he or she is in a sensitive location. In this way, the risk of facial, arm or leg paralysis that may occur after surgery is greatly reduced.