When you’re facing a medical condition impacting the brain, spine, or other parts of the nervous system, Northeast Georgia Health System’s team of neurosurgeons is here to help. We offer extensive expertise in treating a full spectrum of neurologic conditions.
While some neurologic conditions cause only fleeting and minimal symptoms, other conditions can be disruptive and even debilitating. If nonsurgical treatment options such as medication or physical therapy have been ineffective at alleviating your symptoms and correcting a defect or damage to the nervous system, neurosurgery may offer a solution.
Neurological Conditions We Treat
The nervous system is complex, affecting all parts of the body through an intricate network of nerves and messengers. The various parts of the nervous system can be impacted by disease or injury, causing conditions such as:
- Back and neck pain (also called spine pain)
- Brain/spinal cord tumors
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Degenerative disc disease
- Glioblastomas
- Intracerebral hemorrhage
- Peripheral nerve damage
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Vascular disorders
NGHS neurosurgeons treat these neurologic conditions and others, both as scheduled procedures and on an emergency basis for life-threatening issues such as aneurysms or stroke.
Neurosurgery Procedures Offered
Neurosurgery is used to treat illnesses and injuries related to the entire nervous system, including the skull, spinal vertebrae, spinal discs, blood vessels, and soft tissues. The procedures we provide include:
- Discectomy is a common treatment for a herniated disc, also called a slipped or ruptured disc. During this surgical procedure, part or all of the damaged vertebral disc is removed. This is sometimes performed in conjunction with a laminectomy, where a portion of the bone covering the nerve is removed to create more space for the disc and nerve.
- EC-IC bypass surgery is an intricate procedure performed to restore blood flow to the brain. An extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass works similarly to a coronary bypass, connecting a blood vessel outside the brain to one inside the brain to bypass a damaged or blocked artery. This procedure may be used to treat aneurysms or ischemic stroke.
- Microdiscectomy is a minimally invasive version of a discectomy. During this procedure, part or all of a herniated disc is removed.
- Stereotactic radiosurgery targets high doses of radiation to diseased areas of the brain or spine, guided by 3D imaging. It can be used to treat cancer, epilepsy, trigeminal neuralgia, and other abnormalities in the brain or spine.
NGHS neurosurgeons are experienced in performing both open (traditional) procedures to correct neurologic conditions and minimally invasive procedures. While minimally invasive surgery isn’t an option for every type of surgery or every patient, it’s increasingly possible for many neurosurgery procedures.
Minimally invasive surgery offers patients many benefits, including smaller incisions, shorter hospital stays, reduced pain, less bleeding, and fewer complications. As neurosurgery continues to expand with other minimally invasive capabilities, we’re committed to offering our patients treatment with the latest techniques and technologies.
Choosing Northeast Georgia Health System
If you have a neurological condition that hasn’t responded to nonsurgical treatment, you may benefit from the specialized care of a neurosurgeon. Our team of neurosurgery experts is trained in treating a full scope of neurologic conditions affecting the brain, spine, and nervous system. We will work together with your neurologist, primary care provider, and other members of your care team to ensure you have access to the treatment options that will help you find relief, including neurosurgery.