Stereotactic Neurosurgery

Brain surgery is considered a major procedure because it requires opening the skull and parting brain tissues, in order to treat a disorder.  It is normal that the patient and their family are concerned about the risks of paralysis and other complications which may escalate and ultimately become fatal.

Today, as we are now in the digital age, computers have influenced medical equipment and have been developed so advanced that they can be utilized by neurosurgeons in brain surgeries.  This is a new technique, known as “Stereotactic Neurosurgery”, which requires precision planning beforehand.

Traditionally, brain surgery requires making a long incision on the sculp and sawing off a part of the skull, in order to reach the area of the brain that needs to be treated.  However, it is not possible to truly locate and identify the exact part of the brain, and it relies solely on the personal skills of the neurosurgeon to calculate the correct position so that the incision can be made appropriately.  Sometimes, the opening is too large and the wound is bigger than necessary; or it may be too small, which makes it difficult to reach the desired location.

The new neurosurgical technique, on the other hand, utilizes a precise locator map that identifies correctly where the incision should be made before the surgery. A special metal implement is attached to the patients head before the patient is placed into an imaging equipment for a brain scan.  With the aid of a computer program, the result is then used to locate the area of the brain that requires treatment.  Therefore, the surgeon will need to open the skull only at the pre-determined location, resulting in a significantly small wound – perhaps only about 1 – 2 centimeters long.  Consequently, the patient recovers quickly, and there is less risk of paralysis or fatality.  More importantly, this technique is less expensive that the traditional open skull method.

In addition, stereotactic technique can be used to treat other types brain disorder, such as brain hemorrhage, brain tumor, and brain abscess.  It can also be applied as a tool for treating Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy, or even in brachytherapy or in brain tissue implant as a treatment.

Today, at the Bangkok International Hospital’s Center of Excellence, with our medical technology that continues to advance persistently, we stand ready to help enhance the quality of human’s life, and to extend longevity for our loved ones, enabling them to remain with us for many more happy years to come.