Brain and Spinal Tumors
A brain tumor is any
intracranial tumor created by abnormal and uncontrolled
cell division, normally either found in or around
the brain itself, or spread from cancers primarily
located in other organs (metastatic tumors). Primary
(true) brain
tumors are commonly located in the
posterior cranial fossa in children and in the anterior
two-thirds of the cerebral hemispheres in adults,
although they can affect any part of the brain.
In the United States in the year 2000, it was estimated
that there were 16,500 new cases of brain tumors,
which accounted for 1.4 percent of all cancers, 2.4
percent of all cancer deaths, and 20—25 percent
of pediatric cancers. Ultimately, it is estimated
that there are 13,000 deaths/year as a result of
brain tumors.
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| Trigeminal Neuralgia
Trigeminal Neuralgia is a disease in which patients
get sharp intermittent pains in their face. There
are several different treatment options available
for treating this disease including medication, and
five different surgical procedures: percutaneous
rhizotomy (radio frequency, glycerol, and balloon
techniques), Gamma Knife radiosurgery, and craniotomy,
(microvascular decompression). Patients go home the
day of surgery except in the case of craniotomy,
which requires a brief hospital stay. Any one of
these procedures may be the best choice for a particular
patient.
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