Paediatric brain Surgery are growths of abnormal cells that happen in a baby’s brain or the tissue and structures that are closely attached to it. There are various types of paediatric brain tumors — some are benign and some are malignant.
Your child might have the surgery to find out the type of brain disease he or she has. Investigating the cells under a microscope is the only process to be sure of the diagnosis. This is called a biopsy. There are some other reasons behind the surgery like to::
- try and destroy the complete tumor
- relieve signs, such as a build-up of fluid in the brain
- remove as much of the tumor as possible to decrease its growth and improve symptoms
- help provide other treatments such as chemotherapy, but this is rare in babies
TREATMENT WITHOUT SURGERY
Surgery isn’t good for every baby with a brain tumor.
Sometimes the tumor is present in a very delicate part of the brain, and the surgery can damage the brain more. This might be the situation if the tumor is present in the brainstem.
The brainstem controls essential body functions such as:
- Breathing
- Blood pressure
- Heart rate
The expert team of doctors at Narad Hospital, the best child hospital, will discuss various treatment options if surgery isn’t suitable for your child.
- SLOW-GROWING TUMORS
Some children with slow-growing (low grade) tumors don’t have any requirement of the surgery from the beginning. The expert team of neurologists will do regular scans and assessments of your child’s symptoms to look for any further tumor growth.
- DIAGNOSIS PROCESS
If it’s suspected that your child has a brain disease, the child specialist may recommend various tests and procedures to aid in diagnosis and help determine treatment options.
- NEUROLOGICAL EXAM
This exam includes determining your child’s eyesight, balance, strength, hearing, coordination, and reflexes. Difficulty in these areas may give clues about the part of the brain that could be affected by a brain problem.
- IMAGING TESTS
Imaging tests help examine the location and size of brain disease. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is usually done. It may be utilized with the help of specialized MRI, such as functional MRI or magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Other useful imaging tests are computerized tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET).
- BIOPSY
Removing a sample of tissue for testing (biopsy) may be performed as part of surgery to prevent brain disease. The child doctor drills a small hole into the skull, puts a thin needle through the hole, and removes tissue using the needle. The biopsy sample is analyzed in a laboratory to check the types of cells and their level of aggressiveness.
WHO PERFORMS THE SURGERY?
Brain tumor surgeons are known as neurosurgeons. And children’s brain surgeons are called paediatric neurosurgeons. These are highly-skilled, specialized, and trained doctors.
The child’s surgery might involve a team of expert neurosurgeons. Their consultant neurosurgeon leads the team on the surgery day.
You might have other specialists or child doctors working with the team. For example, there might be an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) surgeon if your child is affected by a pituitary tumor.
TYPES OF SURGERY
There are different types of brain surgery. What exactly occurs in operation depends on where the tumor is present and the protective way to try and remove it. Your child’s brain doctor might utilize different scans and instruments to make sure the surgery is as successful as possible.
- CRANIOTOMY
A craniotomy is the most common kind of surgery for a child’s brain tumor. Your child’s doctor cuts out an area of bone from the skull.
This provides a beginning so that the neurosurgeon can operate on the brain itself. The scans your child had before their surgery helps the brain doctor know where exactly the tumor is.
- AWAKE CRANIOTOMY
Very rarely, children have an awake craniotomy. This might be because they have a disease that is near part of the brain that involves movement, speech, or hearing.
During an awake craniotomy, the neurosurgeon asks your baby to perform tasks while they check the function of different parts of the brain. For example, they might ask your child to speak. Or move part of their body, or check what they can feel. This is known as function mapping. The specialist can make sure that these activities are harmed as little as possible, if at all.
- SURGERY TO DRAIN FLUID
The fluid around the brain and spinal cord are known as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Some brain diseases block the healthy circulation of this fluid. Because it cannot drain away, the fluid makes space inside the skull and around the spinal cord.
Your child might have the operation to drain a build-up of fluid in the brain. The doctor puts a device called a shunt. This might be during your surgery to destroy your disease or tumor or as a separate surgery.
- GETTING UP
Brain surgery is a critical operation, and your child needs to rest after the surgery. But, they need to get playing and moving around as soon as possible.
Depending on the surgery they have, your baby might need to lie flat for a few days. Or they might have the head of the bed raised to decrease inflammation in the brain.
Your child specialist or nurse will encourage your child to move their legs, arms, and whilst they are in bed. They will regularly and gently move these parts from side to side. This is to keep their body active. And to try and prevent any blood clots staying in the brain for too long.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR DOCTOR?
The doctor is likely to ask you and your baby various questions. Be ready to answer them to allow time later to cover other aspects you want to address. Your child’s brain doctor may ask, for example:
- When did your child first start noticing symptoms?
- How severe are the symptoms?
- Are the signs or symptoms continuous or occasional?
- What, if anything, appears to worsen the symptoms?
- What, if anything, seems to improve your child’s symptoms?
At Narad Hospital, Our team of best child doctors and brain specialist in Hoshiarpur endeavours to enhance the quality of your child’s life by not only restoring their pelvic anatomy and functions but by informing them of their treatment options in the modern technologies available in the most ethical way.