Stem Cell Therapy via Stereotactic Brain Surgery

Stereotactic surgery is usually recommended for elderly patients with cerebral palsy and for patients with cervical spinal cord injuries at C2, C3, or C4 levels.

Stereotactic brain surgery is preceded by a thorough check-up and laboratory tests. It is performed under general anesthesia.

A surgical frame is fixed at four points on the patient’s skull. The CT scans are performed with the frame on the head in order to locate the exact position of the target area. In the operation room, an auxiliary frame is connected to the surgical frame to fix the head in position.

The neurosurgeons create tiny holes (about 2 cm large) at two points in the skull through which two needles can be inserted into the target area. This allows exact positioning of the needle and the delivery of a maximum concentration of cells to the target area. After the procedure, the wound is closed.

The patient remains in the observation ward for a day or so for monitoring. If no complications arise, they may return to their room and are free to move around the ward. The staples used for wound closure are removed after one week.

Eligibility

The procedure is recommended only when fine motor skills need to be improved. Administration of stem cells into the target lesion achieves the most results; this method is used for adult patients in particular because their regenerative ability is slower. It is also used for patients with high spasticity, who have no or slight mental impairment. Severely epileptic patients are ineligible. Stroke patients with multiple lesions are also ineligible.

Duration

The procedure requires an entire day. The surgery itself takes less than an hour. However, inserting the frame, taking CT scans, and injecting anesthesia lengthens the time frame. Relatives or guides are allowed to be with the patient until he or she receives anesthesia. They can rejoin the patient again during observation. Patients typically leave the operation room in the late afternoon. They are then taken to the observation room and monitored for 24 hours. If no complications arise, patients are allowed to leave their room. The next day, patients are capable of normal functions such as eating and walking but they cannot let their head be wet for a few days. Bandages are changed on a regular basis. Staples are removed after one week.

Possible risks of stereotaxy

All medical procedures involve certain risks or adverse effects related to anesthesia, infection and temporary side effects such as post-surgical pain, fever and nausea. In rare cases, bleeding or temporary epileptic seizure may occur after brain surgery. These risks are minimized by the excellent care offered by our team of doctors and medical staff, as our state-of-the-art medical technology, and our hospital’s strict adherence to hygiene regulations.

Post Treat­ment Monitoring

After stereotactic brain surgery, patients are observed and put on a mon­i­tor which assesses their heart rate, res­pi­ra­tion, and other rel­e­vant infor­ma­tion. A nurse will tend to you, gauge your tem­per­a­ture, and record all data. If you don’t have fever or com­pli­ca­tions, you will be free to leave the hos­pi­tal. The hos­pi­tal is acces­si­ble 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will be ready to treat you in the event of any unex­pected med­ical complication.