This is a very common question asked by many people. If you have been asked to undergo neurosurgery by your medical practitioner, then it might be useful to know the length of the procedure. Only then you shall be able to mentally prepare yourself and your family members and shall avoid a lot of trouble on the day of the surgery.
Since neurosurgery is one of the most delicate forms of surgical procedures, it is highly recommended that you get yourself admitted to the best neurosurgery hospital in Bangalore to go through the process smoothly.
The specific procedure largely depends on the type of surgery, the location of the tumor, and the criticality of the procedure. Each brain is unique, and every ailment may call for its specialized procedure.
Brain tumor surgery:
The most common form of neurosurgery is the removal of brain tumors. Any surgery of such a tumor may broadly be classified into biopsy and resection. In a biopsy, the surgeon removes a small portion of the brain tumor and sends it to the pathologist for diagnosis.
Resection involves the removal of the tumor itself. Both these procedures are conducted at the same time by most surgeons. If the surgeon is conducting only a biopsy, then the time of surgery may vary from 2 to 3 hours.
Craniotomy:
To assess the condition of a tumor Craniotomy is conducted. It involves the removal of a small portion of the skull to allow the surgeon to reach the tumor. A trained surgeon removes as little bone as possible.
After the procedure, the portion is replaced using a plate or secured with screws. Keeping in mind the delicate nature of the procedure, one should try to get it done from the best neurosurgery hospital in Bangalore. This process, along with the removal of the tumor, takes around 4-6 hours.
Non-invasive diagnosis:
At times tumors can be accessed without invasive techniques. These include tumors in pituitary regions. The surgeon may be able to employ a trans-nasal approach in performing the diagnosis. This means that the surgeon may reach the tumor through the nose of the patient. These procedures usually take around 3 to 4 hours when performed by a trained physician.
Preparation time:
Before the surgery, a patient needs to be prepared for it. Neurosurgery is a very complicated procedure and involves a team of people. They need to monitor your vitals, position and test the surgical equipment and assess your physical and mental state before actually starting the procedure.
Thus the time required for all this may be around 2 hours. If your family is waiting for you, they should be aware of this extra time to ease up their schedule.
After the surgery:
The patient is kept under observation in the Operating Theater for a few hours after completion of the surgery. During this time, his vital signs are monitored. The patient is referred to his ward only after the doctor is satisfied that he or she is in a stable condition. This waiting time usually varies between 2 to 3 hours but may extend depending on the criticality of the patient.
The length of the surgery may vary based on certain factors. The size of the tumor, the location, and the ease of access of the same shall decide the length of the surgery.
A neurosurgeon must be careful not to harm the adjoining tissues, nerves, and blood vessels. Any complicated health conditions such as age, pre-existing ailments, etc., may affect the level of complication of the surgery, and hence the length of the same. To sail through the surgery smoothly, the treatments provided by the best neurosurgery hospital in Bangalore may come in handy.