Brain Conditions

Sometimes beginning with prolonged pain in the head or face, brain conditions tend to produce multiple symptoms. Several conditions that affect the brain may require surgery to help alleviate painful, debilitating or life-threatening symptoms. For some conditions, however, there are non-surgical treatment options that may be more appropriate.

Chiari Malformation

Medical experts divide Chiari malformation into several types, in part to reflect the degree of displacement of the brain tissue into the spinal canal. The most common are Chiari-I and Chiari-II.

Trigeminal Neuralgia

The severe facial pain is caused by contact between an artery or vein and the trigeminal nerve at the base of the brain. This places pressure on the nerve as it enters the brain and causes the nerve to misfire.

Hemi-facial Spasm

Hemi-facial spasm is a neuromuscular disorder characterized by involuntary twitching of one side of the face. The spasms are not painful but the disorder can cause anxiety and self-consciousness, discomfort, and vision problems due to forced eye closure.

Hydrocephalus

Hydrocephalus results when the flow of cerebrospinal fluid is disrupted—for example, when a channel between ventricles becomes narrowed or when the body doesn't properly absorb this fluid.

Aneurysm

An aneurysm is an abnormal dilation of a blood vessel. A rupture can lead to bleeding (hemorrhage) into the brain tissue or surrounding lining of the brain, which is called the arachnoid.

Arteriovenous Malformation

A brain AVM (arteriovenous malformation) is an abnormal connection between arteries and veins bypassing capillaries.

Tumors

Benign tumors are slow growing, noncancerous, and do not spread to surrounding tissue. Malignant tumors, on the other hand, are cancerous. Fast growing and aggressive, they can invade nearby tissue and also are more likely to recur after treatment.

The American Center for Spine and Neurosurgery Excellence in Minimally Invasive Care