Brain and Spine Center (Endoscopic Surgery Center)

Brain and Spine Center (Endoscopic Surgery Center)

The brain, spinal cord, and spine are among the most important and complex organs in our body.

At the Brain and Spine Center of Vibhavadi Hospital, we place great importance on these three systems and integrate their treatments because the abnormalities often present with complex symptoms, making diagnosis difficult. For example, a patient may have an abnormality in the cervical spine but presents with a headache, leading the doctor to mistakenly think it is a brain-related issue. Similarly, a patient may have numbness in the arms or legs, but the doctor thinks it is a spinal issue when the cause could be a brain abnormality. This can lead to missed opportunities in diagnosing and treating the disease.

Our center is well-equipped with both medical instruments and technology, as well as specialized doctors in these three systems, ready to diagnose, treat, and provide detailed, fast, and accurate care for those with abnormalities in the brain, nervous system, and spinal cord, allowing them to return to their daily lives happily.

Services and treatments

• Head injuries with brain impact or concussion
• Ruptured or congenital abnormal blood vessels in the brain (Arteriovenous Malformation, AVM)
• Loss of consciousness, weakness, seizures, or paralysis due to bleeding in the brain from ruptured capillaries
• Brain tumors or cysts
• Degeneration, rupture, or fractures of the spine and intervertebral discs causing back pain, neck pain, numbness in the arms or legs, etc.
• Facial muscle spasms, especially along the face (Trigeminal Neuralgia)
• Spinal cord compression from intervertebral discs
• Consultation and surgical treatment of brain-related diseases using microsurgery
• Brain tumors in children or adults
• Spinal cord tumors
• Cerebral aneurysm
• Abnormal blood vessels in the brain (AVM)
• Blood vessels compressing nerves

Medical Technology

• Microscope (Microscopy)

The microscope is used for brain surgery and is equipped with image recording equipment. This device magnifies images for deep brain, spinal cord, and spinal column surgeries, allowing surgeons to see the intricate details of these organs, such as brain nerves, blood vessels, brain tumors, blood clots in the brain, spinal cord, spinal discs, and impinging nerve roots or spinal cord. It is also used in conjunction with cervical and lumbar spine surgeries, enabling surgeons to see the spinal cord, nerves, tumors, or abnormalities that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye. This helps reduce the chances of errors during surgery. The microscope connects to an image recording device and a signal transmitter that displays the images on a monitor, which can be recorded for the patient's ongoing treatment.

• Head Holder

The head holder is used to immobilize the patient's head or spine during surgery, preventing any movement. This helps make the surgery easier, allowing the surgeon to operate more accurately and efficiently.

• Self Retaining Brain Retractor

The self-retaining brain retractor is a mechanical arm that acts as a third and fourth hand for the surgeon during surgery. Instead of using both hands to hold instruments or relying on a nurse or assistant to hold surgical tools, this device holds the surgical instruments in place with precision and stability, without fatigue or human error. As a result, this reduces potential brain damage caused by an assistant holding the surgical instruments.

• Aneurysm Clip

A device for controlling the flow of blood in brain vessels. It is used in cases involving brain vessel surgery, brain tumors, or treatments that may result in significant blood loss. This device helps prevent or reduce blood loss during surgery.

• Biological Glue, or bio-glue

It is used to stop bleeding from the brain, spinal cord, spinal bones, or around the surgical area in cases where there is a tear in the brain's protective membrane, such as patients who have experienced head injuries, skull fractures, or brain hemorrhages due to ruptured blood vessels, or in cases with abnormal blood clotting, such as kidney failure or hemophilia. This glue is useful for patients with severe brain injuries.

• Emergency spinal surgery kit

Emergency spinal surgery kit is used for specific surgeries related to the spinal bones, in cases of injuries to the neck vertebrae, dislocated or fractured cervical vertebrae, or spinal cord tumors in the neck. Patients often experience numbness or weakness in their arms and legs (paralysis, paresis).

• ICP (Intracranial Pressure) Monitoring

ICP (Intracranial Pressure) Monitoring is a tool for measuring changes in brain pressure. It is beneficial for patients with brain injuries, allowing doctors to monitor brain function after accidents or surgeries more easily. The device alerts when there are changes in brain pressure, which can be faster and more accurate than manual monitoring, leading to earlier treatment opportunities.

• High-Speed Drill

High-Speed Drill is used for tasks related to spinal bones, skull, and facial bones, such as brain surgery, brain tumor removal, brain vessel surgery, facial bone repair, joint surgery, spinal fusion, or removal of bone spurs compressing nerve roots. The high-speed drill operates at around 80,000 to over 100,000 rotations per minute, making surgeries faster, easier, and more precise.

• MRI – CT Scan

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is used for diagnosing abnormalities in the brain, spinal cord, nervous system, and spinal bones that conventional X-ray machines cannot detect. This device provides accurate and comprehensive details for doctors to diagnose and plan treatment.

• Multislice CT (Computed Tomography)

Multislice CT (Computed Tomography) scan can quickly examine the brain and spinal bones within a few minutes. The obtained images can also be converted into three-dimensional images, allowing doctors to assess bone structure damage or blood vessels in the brain more accurately.

Vibhavadi Brain and Spine Center (Endoscopic Surgery Center) uses modern surgical techniques, adhering to the same concepts and standards as international hospitals, to avoid unnecessary large incisions. This approach is similar to the principles of other contemporary surgeries, such as laparoscopic abdominal surgery, arthroscopic joint surgery, endoscopic gynecological and urological surgeries, and endoscopic or microscopic ear, nose, and throat surgeries. This minimally invasive concept is also known as Minimally Invasive Surgery or Keyhole Surgery.

Advantages of the new surgical method

1. Smaller surgical incisions (the smallest ever performed in the hospital is 2-3 cm, depending on the disease and the duration of the patient's illness before receiving treatment).
2. (In case of brain surgery) Avoiding shaving the head or, if necessary, only shaving a small portion to conceal the scar after surgery.
3. Significantly reduced surgery time, which has additional benefits such as reduced risk of complications from surgery, including infections and brain swelling, as well as shorter anesthesia durations (prolonged anesthesia increases the chance of complications, especially in elderly patients). For example, surgery for a brain hemorrhage can now be completed within just 30-90 minutes.
4. Reduced stress for relatives waiting during surgery, as they previously had to wait several hours for the surgeon (possibly ranging from 4 to 10 hours), which not only affects the patient but also unknowingly stresses the family waiting outside the operating room.
5. Decreased brain, spinal cord, and spinal bone swelling and bruising, leading to a reduced risk of postoperative complications.
6. Less postoperative pain due to smaller incisions and less internal tissue damage.
7. Shorter hospital recovery time, such as some patients who have undergone brain surgery being able to return home within 3-5 days post-surgery (in some cases, stitches may not be necessary), or some patients who have had spinal surgery being able to resume their normal work within 2-3 days.
8. Shorter home recovery time, allowing patients to return to work sooner.
9. Longer periods of in-hospital rest and physical therapy.
10. Improved post-surgery outcomes for patients, enabling them to return to their normal daily lives or something close to it, significantly reducing the burden on the patient's family when caring for them after surgery.