Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery - Baskent University Hospital Istanbul

About the Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery at Baskent University Hospital Istanbul

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Baskent University Hospital Istanbul offers the full range of surgical treatment of diseases of the nervous system at the highest level of modern medicine. The department employs highly professional neurosurgeons who use the widest arsenal of innovative technologies for the restoration of health of patients with tumors of the brain, spinal cord and spine, cerebrovascular diseases, intracerebral hemorrhages, traumatic brain injuries and other pathologies, which pose a threat to the patient's life. The department also provides treatment of neurosurgical diseases in children. The Chief Physician of the department is Dr. med. Semra Isik.

The doctors working in the department demonstrate excellent treatment results, which are facilitated by high-precision preoperative diagnostics, careful planning of each stage of surgery using modern computer systems, as well as professional performance of the operation and proper follow-up care. Whenever possible, the department's surgeons always give preference to minimally invasive techniques that virtually eliminate injury to healthy tissues of the brain and spine, as well as significantly reduce postoperative recovery.

The surgical interventions to treat diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system are performed in state-of-the-art operating rooms, which have all the necessary instruments and computer-assisted devices – operating microscopes, navigation systems, intraoperative monitoring devices, endoscopic surgical equipment, latest generation computed tomography scanners, etc. All these technical resources allow the department's neurosurgeons to mitigate the risks of developing serious complications during the operation. For example, operating microscopes significantly magnify the image of the operating field, which helps the surgeon avoid manipulations that can lead to irreversible changes in the functioning of the brain or spinal cord. The cutting-edge  intraoperative navigation and imaging systems allow the surgeon to navigate within the operating field and perform each stage of the operation with pinpoint accuracy.

The department most often admits patients with benign and malignant brain tumors. Depending on the specific clinical situation, the tumor resection can be performed using microsurgical and minimally invasive interventions. If the operation is contraindicated, the patient is offered an innovative alternative treatment – radiosurgery. This type of treatment is a single targeted irradiation of the pathological focus with a high dose of ionizing radiation. Radiosurgical treatment does not require any surgical incisions in the operated site. Nevertheless, the therapy allows destroying a malignancy in hard-to-reach regions of the brain with no injury to the functionally important anatomical structures of the brain. The technique guarantees effective destruction of malignant cells and high chances for a complete recovery of the patient.

The department's priority focuses also include surgical procedures on the spine and spinal cord. The department's specialists are distinguished by unique qualifications in the treatment of benign and malignant neoplasms of the spine and spinal cord, intervertebral disc herniation of the lumbar and cervical spine, and spinal fractures. In addition, the area of ​​competence of the department's doctors also includes pain therapy for pain syndromes in the back and coccyx. In most cases, the doctors resort to epidural steroid injections to relieve this type of pain.

The department provides treatment to young patients with neurosurgical disorders of varying severity, including brain tumors, arteriovenous malformations, hydrocephalus, tethered cord syndrome, spinal dysraphism, etc. The operations in children are performed by surgeons who have undergone specialized training in the field of pediatric neurosurgery. Prior to treatment, young patients undergo CT and/or MRI scanning in order to accurately identify the cause of the pathology and its localization. If clinically indicated, the doctors use sparing minimally invasive techniques. The operating microscopes, neuronavigation and intraoperative imaging control systems are also widely used during operations.

The department's range of medical services includes:

• Surgical treatment of brain diseases
  • Benign and malignant brain tumors (microsurgical, minimally invasive and radiosurgical interventions)
  • Cerebrovascular disease (for example, cerebral aneurysm)
  • Intracerebral hemorrhage
  • Arteriovenous malformations of the brain
  • Traumatic brain injuries
• Surgical treatment of diseases of the spinal cord and spine
  • Benign and malignant tumors of the spinal cord and spine
  • Intervertebral disc herniation of the lumbar and cervical spine
  • Spinal injuries and fractures
  • Spondylolisthesis (slipped vertebrae)
  • Pain in the back and coccyx
• Surgical treatment of diseases of the peripheral nervous system
  • Impingement syndromes
  • Benign and malignant tumors of the peripheral nervous system
  • Traumatic injury to peripheral nerves
• Surgical treatment of neurosurgical diseases in children
  • Benign and malignant tumors of the brain and spinal cord
  • Arteriovenous malformations of the brain
  • Hydrocephalus
  • Tethered cord syndrome
  • Spinal dysraphism
• Surgical treatment of other disorders of the central and peripheral nervous system