<div class="at-above-post-arch-page addthis_tool" data-url="https://www.mhsi.com/blog/what-seniors-should-consider-before-neurosurgery/"></div>Understanding some of the neurosurgery issues seniors face, including some of the most common surgeries and special considerations for this age group, can help older folks and their families determine if they’re dealing with a health issue that could be helped by surgery of the brain or spine.<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings above via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings below via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons above via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons below via filter on get_the_excerpt --><div class="at-below-post-arch-page addthis_tool" data-url="https://www.mhsi.com/blog/what-seniors-should-consider-before-neurosurgery/"></div><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt -->

Every year, around 2.9 million cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI) occur in the United States, and about 5.3 million Americans are currently living with a disability related to a traumatic brain injury.

Understanding traumatic brain injuries —symptoms, treatment options and how to prevent them — can help prepare you in the event you or a loved one sustain this type of injury.

What is a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?

Any injury with an external cause that affects how the brain works is a traumatic brain injury, often abbreviated to TBI. These injuries are typically caused by a blow to the head — like a fall, or a car accident where the head hits the steering wheel at high speed — or a penetrating injury such as a gunshot wound.

A traumatic brain injury can be mild, moderate or severe. Fortunately, about 75 percent of traumatic brain injuries are mild. The most common type of mild traumatic brain injury is a concussion.

Symptoms of a traumatic brain injury may include:

• Amnesia
• Confusion
• Trouble concentrating
• Difficulty speaking or understanding language
• Inappropriate expression of emotion, either laughing or crying
• Aggression and irritability
• Blurred vision
• Slurred speech
• Dilated or unequal pupils
• Headaches
• Ringing in the ears
• Nausea or vomiting
• Anxiety
• Problems with balance

People who have suffered a traumatic brain injury may also experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) alongside those of their injury.

It’s important for athletes, fall-prone individuals (like persons with disabilities or who are elderly) or anyone else who may be vulnerable to a traumatic brain injury to know the signs and symptoms, so they can seek care immediately upon noticing them.

Treating Traumatic Brain Injuries

Many people with TBIs — particularly mild ones such as concussion — will be first seen and treated by their primary doctor or an urgent care provider. Then, depending on the severity of the injury, they may be referred to a specialist — like a neurologist or neurosurgeon — for further evaluation and treatment.

In the case of mild traumatic brain injuries, recovery often involves rest and over-the-counter pain relievers, and can be done at home. Moderate traumatic brain injury typically requires more intensive treatment such as surgery.

What to Expect After a Traumatic Brain Injury

Most people who sustain a mild traumatic brain injury will stop having symptoms within days or weeks. However, up to 25 percent of these people may experience lingering effects such as inability to concentrate, head and neck pain, and memory issues for much longer — possibly months after the event that caused the TBI.

For the small percentage of people who do experience long-term effects after a traumatic brain injury, ongoing treatment is key. Ideally this treatment is overseen by a multidisciplinary team that includes a neurosurgeon, neurologist, and rehab doctor or physical therapist, among other specialists.

Preventing Traumatic Brain Injury

While some TBIs might be more mild or less symptomatic than others, there’s no ideal situation with traumatic brain injury. Every situation is unique and presents its own set of challenges to recovery and treatment.

So how do we prevent TBIs entirely? While you can’t prevent the type of TBIs that come from accidents like tackles on the football field or a car accident, the most powerful tool we have is knowledge. The organization ThinkFirst is an excellent source of trustworthy and comprehensive information on preventing traumatic injuries, offering tips for people of all ages on how to protect the brain.

If you or a loved one is seeking treatment for a traumatic brain injury, or to schedule an appointment with any of our MHSI experts, visit www.mhsi.com/appointments or call 248-784-3667.

Every year, about 80,000 people are treated by neurosurgeons with a tool called the Leksell Gamma Knife®, which treats small and medium-sized brain tumors.

Understanding Gamma Knife treatment, including how and when it is used, can help you determine if you may be a good candidate for this highly effective, non-invasive procedure.

Contrary to its name, the Leksell Gamma Knife® doesn’t involve a knife or blade, and the surgeon makes no incisions. The treatment is a type of radiation based on the concept of concentrating beams of radiation into a very small point. It was invented by a Swedish neurosurgeon, Professor Lars Leksell, in 1967, and is also called radiosurgery or stereotactic radiosurgery.

The Gamma Knife functions similarly to a magnifying glass that, when held up in the sun, concentrates the sun’s rays into a tiny, powerful beam. The Knife is used to deliver focused radiation to small areas of the brain in a very exact way.

Gamma Knife treatment can be used for:

• Small to medium-sized brain tumors that arise from the brain itself
• Malignant (cancerous) brain tumors that have spread from other parts of the body such as the breast, lung or kidney
• Small blood vessel abnormalities such as arterio-venous malformations.

Benefits of Gamma Knife Treatment

If the Gamma Knife is like a magnifying glass, conventional radiation treatment is like being at the beach — when you get a sunburn, you get it over your whole body. And when conventional radiation is used to treat brain lesions, it also irradiates (and damages) otherwise healthy brain tissue surrounding the lesion.

Because Gamma Knife treatment uses highly focused radiation to very exact points of the brain, it minimizes damage to the brain while maximizing the positive outcomes for the patient.

What Does Gamma Knife Treatment Involve?

Gamma Knife treatment is a painless, outpatient procedure that only needs to be performed once. On average, the procedure takes around two hours.

Patients remain awake throughout the procedure and are generally able to go home and return to normal activities a few hours after treatment. Within a few months, tumors may begin to shrink. In many cases, the tumor shrivels down and disappears.

Are You Eligible for Gamma Knife Treatment?

Many brain abnormalities that can be treated with conventional radiation may also be treatable with Gamma Knife radiation, if they are small enough.

For example, a woman with a brain tumor that came from her breast could be an excellent candidate for Gamma Knife treatment, provided the tumor is less than one inch in diameter. After using an MRI to pinpoint the tumor’s location, a neurosurgeon trained to use the Gamma Knife would work with a radiation oncologist to devise a treatment plan.

Working together, the neurosurgeon and radiation oncologist would perform the Gamma Knife treatment to eventually eliminate the tumor.

If you or a loved one are dealing with a small brain tumor or other abnormality, consider reaching out to a Gamma Knife specialist who can help you determine if this noninvasive, highly effective treatment is an option for you.

If you or a loved one is seeking treatment for a brain tumor, are interested in Gamma Knife radiosurgery, or to schedule an appointment with any of our MHSI experts, visit www.mhsi.com/appointments or call 248-784-3667.