Neurology Procedure in Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals Delhi, India

Paediatric Neurosurgery:

For anomalies and tumors of the brain and spinal cord in infants and children. For children born with anomalies of the brain, spinal cord, skull deformities and spinal deformities, Apollo Hospitals offers the best care, in the form of programmable shunts for hydrocephalus, repair of meningo-myeloceles, correction of cranio-synostosis (early, abnormal closure of skull bones) and correction of spinal deformities. Children with tumors of the brain and eyes are also treated.

Stereotactic Biopsy:

Stereotactic biopsy/aspiration involves no opening of the skull and is suitable for small, deep seated tumors. It is performed under a CT / MRI scan guidance having precise computer calculations. Over 1000 stereotactic biopsies and craniotomies (open surgeries with precise localisation of the tumor by stereotaxy) have been performed.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery:

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) uses diverse, precisely focused radiation beams to treat tumors and diseases in the brain, neck, etc.

It is not a surgery in the traditional sense because there is no incision. Instead, SRS uses 3-D imaging to target high doses of radiation towards the affected area with minimal impact on the surrounding healthy tissue.

Like other forms of radiation, stereotactic radiosurgery works by destroying the DNA of the targeted cells. The affected cells then lose the ability to reproduce, which causes tumors to shrink.
When doctors use stereotactic radiosurgery to treat tumors in areas of the body other than the brain, it's sometimes called stereotactic body radiotherapy (SRBT) or stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR).

Types of stereotactic radiosurgery

Three types of technology are used to deliver radiation during stereotactic radiosurgery.

·         Linear accelerator (LINAC) machines use X-rays (photons) to treat cancerous and noncancerous abnormalities in the brain and other parts of the body. LINAC machines are also known by the brand name of the manufacturer, such as CyberKnife, Axesse, Novalis Tx, TrueBeam and XKnife. These machines can perform SRS in a single session or over three to five sessions for larger tumors, which is called fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy.

·         Gamma Knife machines use 192 or 201 small beams of gamma rays to target and treat cancerous and noncancerous brain abnormalities. Gamma Knife machines are less common than LINAC machines and are used primarily for small to medium tumors and lesions in the brain associated with a variety of conditions.

·         Proton beam (charged particle radiosurgery) is the newest type of stereotactic radiosurgery; it is available only at a few centers in the world. Apollo Hospitals is the first to bring it to India. It can treat brain cancers in a single session using stereotactic radiosurgery or use fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy to treat body tumors over several sessions.

How it works:

All types of stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy work in a similar manner.
The specialized equipment focuses many small beams of radiation on a tumor or other target. Each beam has very little effect on the tissue it passes through, but a targeted dose of radiation is delivered to the site where all the beams intersect.

The high dose of radiation delivered to the affected area causes the tumors to shrink and blood vessels to close off over time following treatment, robbing the tumor of its blood supply.

The precision of stereotactic radiosurgery means there's minimal damage to the healthy surrounding tissues. In most cases, radiosurgery has a lower risk of side effects compared to other types of traditional surgery or radiation therapy.

Neuro Endoscopic Surgery:

This procedure has reduced the hospital stay of the patients and has helped in quicker recovery from hormonal problems. Patients who have a leak of the brain fluid through the nose can also be treated by this relatively less invasive technique. Neuroendoscopy Equipments are also used routinely for minimally invasive endoscopic removal of certain tumors (eg. intraventricular and pituitary tumors), third ventriculostomy in the treatment of hydrocephalus, drainage of brain abscesses and cysts.