Post by RiP, IMDb on Dec 10, 2019 7:52:46 GMT
The 10 Riskiest Medical Procedures...
1. Craniectomy:
Any type of brain surgery presents a high risk to the patient because the brain controls every function in the body. But a craniectomy presents even more risks. This procedure requires that the piece of skull removed to access the brain is not replaced after the surgery is complete, leaving fully recovered patients the risk of brain damage after the surgery if they do not properly protect their head. Depending on the area of the brain where this procedure will be performed, other serious risks like changes or loss in the functions of vision, mobility, speech, memory, coordination, and more can be permanent. Excessive build up of fluid in the brain, stroke, seizures, spinal fluid leakage, swelling of the brain, and more can also occur after the procedure, making this one of the highest risk surgeries.
SIX OF HISTORY'S MORE UNUSUAL SURGICAL MIRACLES:
1. Surgery to Remove Half a Child's Brain. On June 11, 6-year-old Jessie Hall of Aledo, Texas, had the entire right side of her brain removed by neurosurgeon Ben Carson at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore. The rare procedure is called a hemispherectomy, and though drastic, it was considered the best possible treatment for Jessie, who suffers from Rasmussen's encephalitis, a progressive degeneration of the cerebral cortex that causes uncontrollable seizures. Though doctors do not fully understand how, the remaining half of the brain in such cases typically takes over many of the functions previously performed by the removed half. Jessie may be permanently paralyzed on her left side, but there is usually no effect on personality or memory. Johns Hopkins does about 12 of these surgeries each year, mostly on children between the ages of 5 and 10. When surgeons were first developing the procedure, they tried to fill the empty cavity on one side of the skull, in one case using sterile ping-pong balls, but they later realized that the brain's own cerebrospinal fluid eventually fills the space.
What are some of the MOST DIFFICULT surgeries to perform?:
Becca Errico, studied Surgery & Anatomy and Physiology at Los Angeles County – USC Medical Center
Updated Apr 9, 2019 · Author has 2k answers and 1.5m answer views
One of the most difficult is a cerebral artery aneurysm bypass, or removing or bypassing an aneurysm in an artery in the brain. (I can’t remember how we phrased the name of this surgery)…we did very few. I’ve only known of one surgeon myself who specialized in cerebral artery aneurysms….he travels between a few hospitals and will operate on some that he believes he can help. These arteries were so small that we had to use a sterile piece of a colored balloon under the artery to even see it. These arteries were a little larger than a human hair. It’s usually not a diagnosis that you look for but sometimes it will incidentally show up on a CT with contrast solution, just before you have a CVA or a stroke. If this aneurysm can be operated on right away it can save a patient’s life or stop the brain damage caused by bleeding.
Michael Katz, I am a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon with 30 years of Clinical Practice.
Answered Jul 8, 2015
By far and away brain tumor surgery in Neurosurgery is the hardest group of surgeries. The margin for error is very slim and the consequences are devastating for the patient. I strongly recommend " Do No Harm" by Henry Marsh. Marsh devoted his career to the most complex brain tumors. He tells the story of a teacher who had a massive tumor involving the Brain Stem. Initially, the family decided to leave England and go to the US for treatment. Then one day the Neurosurgeon from the US called, " Henry, you should operate, this is a young man's case". Fifteen hours into the case, everything was going well. Marsh had a small piece of tumor left that could have safely been left behind. Instead, he thought, "I am playing with the Big Boys and the Big Boys never leave tumor behind". As he grasped the tumor he noticed a small rent in the basilar artery and realized that he had doomed the man. Years later he serendipitously saw the man in a vegetative state while visiting a Nursing Home to see another patient. His take on this, " Great Surgeons have poor Memories".
The hardest type of surgery is something called a corpus callosotomy. In this surgery you divide the left side of the brain from the right to get to the corpus callosum (it's in the middle of the brain) to stop ellipse and regain connection from the right and left hemisphere of the brain. It is hard because if you damage any other piece of brain tissue it could cause massive damage.
David Chan, MD from UCLA, Stanford Oncology Fellowship
Answered Oct 18, 2015 · Upvoted by Christopher Fox, Orthopedic surgeon/spine surgeon and Liang-Hai Sie, Retired general internist, former intensive care physician. · Author has 3.1k answers and 15.6m answer views
Originally Answered: What is the hardest type of surgeon?
All surgery can have its really bad moments but neurosurgery is the least forgiving of errors. It's also the type of surgery where good outcomes are less assured.
The brain and spinal cord have little ability to regenerate in adults and therefore even surgery done perfectly may not lead to an outcome expected by patients and their loved ones.
Even slight errors in judgement or technique can lead to major loss of neurological function.
1. Craniectomy:
Any type of brain surgery presents a high risk to the patient because the brain controls every function in the body. But a craniectomy presents even more risks. This procedure requires that the piece of skull removed to access the brain is not replaced after the surgery is complete, leaving fully recovered patients the risk of brain damage after the surgery if they do not properly protect their head. Depending on the area of the brain where this procedure will be performed, other serious risks like changes or loss in the functions of vision, mobility, speech, memory, coordination, and more can be permanent. Excessive build up of fluid in the brain, stroke, seizures, spinal fluid leakage, swelling of the brain, and more can also occur after the procedure, making this one of the highest risk surgeries.
SIX OF HISTORY'S MORE UNUSUAL SURGICAL MIRACLES:
1. Surgery to Remove Half a Child's Brain. On June 11, 6-year-old Jessie Hall of Aledo, Texas, had the entire right side of her brain removed by neurosurgeon Ben Carson at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore. The rare procedure is called a hemispherectomy, and though drastic, it was considered the best possible treatment for Jessie, who suffers from Rasmussen's encephalitis, a progressive degeneration of the cerebral cortex that causes uncontrollable seizures. Though doctors do not fully understand how, the remaining half of the brain in such cases typically takes over many of the functions previously performed by the removed half. Jessie may be permanently paralyzed on her left side, but there is usually no effect on personality or memory. Johns Hopkins does about 12 of these surgeries each year, mostly on children between the ages of 5 and 10. When surgeons were first developing the procedure, they tried to fill the empty cavity on one side of the skull, in one case using sterile ping-pong balls, but they later realized that the brain's own cerebrospinal fluid eventually fills the space.
What are some of the MOST DIFFICULT surgeries to perform?:
Becca Errico, studied Surgery & Anatomy and Physiology at Los Angeles County – USC Medical Center
Updated Apr 9, 2019 · Author has 2k answers and 1.5m answer views
One of the most difficult is a cerebral artery aneurysm bypass, or removing or bypassing an aneurysm in an artery in the brain. (I can’t remember how we phrased the name of this surgery)…we did very few. I’ve only known of one surgeon myself who specialized in cerebral artery aneurysms….he travels between a few hospitals and will operate on some that he believes he can help. These arteries were so small that we had to use a sterile piece of a colored balloon under the artery to even see it. These arteries were a little larger than a human hair. It’s usually not a diagnosis that you look for but sometimes it will incidentally show up on a CT with contrast solution, just before you have a CVA or a stroke. If this aneurysm can be operated on right away it can save a patient’s life or stop the brain damage caused by bleeding.
Michael Katz, I am a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon with 30 years of Clinical Practice.
Answered Jul 8, 2015
By far and away brain tumor surgery in Neurosurgery is the hardest group of surgeries. The margin for error is very slim and the consequences are devastating for the patient. I strongly recommend " Do No Harm" by Henry Marsh. Marsh devoted his career to the most complex brain tumors. He tells the story of a teacher who had a massive tumor involving the Brain Stem. Initially, the family decided to leave England and go to the US for treatment. Then one day the Neurosurgeon from the US called, " Henry, you should operate, this is a young man's case". Fifteen hours into the case, everything was going well. Marsh had a small piece of tumor left that could have safely been left behind. Instead, he thought, "I am playing with the Big Boys and the Big Boys never leave tumor behind". As he grasped the tumor he noticed a small rent in the basilar artery and realized that he had doomed the man. Years later he serendipitously saw the man in a vegetative state while visiting a Nursing Home to see another patient. His take on this, " Great Surgeons have poor Memories".
The hardest type of surgery is something called a corpus callosotomy. In this surgery you divide the left side of the brain from the right to get to the corpus callosum (it's in the middle of the brain) to stop ellipse and regain connection from the right and left hemisphere of the brain. It is hard because if you damage any other piece of brain tissue it could cause massive damage.
David Chan, MD from UCLA, Stanford Oncology Fellowship
Answered Oct 18, 2015 · Upvoted by Christopher Fox, Orthopedic surgeon/spine surgeon and Liang-Hai Sie, Retired general internist, former intensive care physician. · Author has 3.1k answers and 15.6m answer views
Originally Answered: What is the hardest type of surgeon?
All surgery can have its really bad moments but neurosurgery is the least forgiving of errors. It's also the type of surgery where good outcomes are less assured.
The brain and spinal cord have little ability to regenerate in adults and therefore even surgery done perfectly may not lead to an outcome expected by patients and their loved ones.
Even slight errors in judgement or technique can lead to major loss of neurological function.