A 48-year-old member asked:
what are the things they drill into your skull during brain surgery?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

Dr. Larry Armstrong answered
Neurosurgery 27 years experience
Not sure: We use a drill to enter the skull in order to perform brain surgery. We then replace the skull afterward with titanium plates and screws. I'm not sure what you mean by drilling things into the skull during brain surgery.
5614 viewsAnswered >2 years ago
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Similar questions
A 40-year-old member asked:
What age is considered too old to try brain surgery as a possible cure?
2 doctor answers • 3 doctors weighed in

Dr. Timothy Ashley answered
Internal Medicine and Pediatrics 15 years experience
It depends: All medical decisions have to balance risks with benefits. For many procedures, higher age carries higher risk. There is almost never a hard age cutoff, but if the risk of death or other complications is very high, from age or other reasons, the surgeon may judge the benefit too minimal to justify the risk- "first do no harm". A surgeon should be able to explain individual decisions about risk.
6144 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
CA
A 25-year-old member asked:
Are brain operations for Parkinson's usually safe?
2 doctor answers • 6 doctors weighed in

Dr. Ramin AmirNovin answered
Neurosurgery 21 years experience
Mostly: Deep brain stimulation surgery for Parkinson's is mostly safe. Like any surgery, the most common risks of this surgery are headaches, infection, and non-responsiveness to the therapy. The most troublesome/dangerous risk is that of stroke (bleeding in the brain) and occurs in ~1% of patients.
6268 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
CA
A 23-year-old member asked:
Can I still fly on a plane after having a major stroke and brain surgery?
3 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in

Dr. Nader Pouratian answered
Neurosurgery 18 years experience
Yes: Once recovered from surgery, one should be able to fly without restriction. However, individual surgeons may vary as to when exactly you can fly.
6312 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Does having brain surgery make it more likely that I will have a stroke later?
3 doctor answers • 4 doctors weighed in

Dr. J. C. DiGiacomo answered
General Surgery 35 years experience
No: Stroke are a result of blood perfusion issues. If you have recovered from brain surgery, the issue of blood flow to the brain should not be an issue, but you should discuss your specific case with your neurosurgeon.
6108 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
What do you think about brain surgery to help with seizures?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

Dr. Olav Jaren answered
Neurology 19 years experience
When to do it: Not everyone should have surgery to control seizures. People who have failed 3 or more medications that should prevent seizures, and who have a focus or origin of their seizures (partial onset) may be candidates for epilepsy surgery. People with generalized epilepsy may find a vagal nerve stimulator to be helpful.
Does that answer your question?
3678 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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Last updated Sep 14, 2016
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