Cerebral hemangioma is the most common vascular malformation that can develop in any part of the central nervous system. If left untreated, it causes hemorrhage, seizures, neurological disorders, and chronic headaches. To diagnose the disease and plan surgery, doctors in Germany use an MRI scan. There are many methods for hemangioma treatment, including surgery, radiosurgery, or an endovascular procedure.
Content
- Microsurgical resection
- Stereotactic radiosurgery
- Endovascular treatment
Surgical resection is the most common treatment method, while radiosurgical treatment is less frequent. Some clinics perform hemangioma embolization as an additional treatment.
You can undergo treatment in the following hospitals: Charite University Hospital Berlin, University Hospital Freiburg, Sana Hospital Duisburg.
If you want to undergo treatment for cerebral hemangioma in a specialized clinic in Germany, please leave your request with medical information on the Booking Health website. The company's specialists will help you select a clinic and a doctor, draw up a preliminary treatment program and make an appointment, help with obtaining a visa, arrange flights and accommodation. For maximum comfort, a personal medical coordinator will always be in touch with you.
Microsurgical resection
The main method of treatment of cerebral hemangioma in Germany is microsurgical resection of the neoplasm. The list of indications for surgery includes:
- Cerebral hemorrhage with progressive neurological deficit.
- Severe symptoms, including epileptic seizures, respiratory and cardiovascular dysfunction.
- Presence of a mass within 2 mm of the pia mater.
To reduce cerebral edema, patients often receive treatment with steroids for 1 to 2 weeks before surgery.
The task of the doctor is to remove the hemangioma completely. In 40% of cases, recurrent hemorrhage develops from the remnants of a cavernoma after surgery. Therefore, all patients in Germany undergo a postoperative MRI scan within 72 hours. Should remnants be detected, a revision surgical intervention will be required as soon as possible. There is no need for it in most cases because clinics in Germany employ experienced neurosurgeons, and they usually manage to completely remove the vascular neoplasm within a single operation.
The main advantage of brain hemangioma resection in Germany is safety. It is important not only to remove the tumor but also to prevent the development of neurological complications. The hemangioma itself does not contain nervous tissue, so its removal does not affect brain function in any way, but to get to it, the doctor has to dissect the brain tissue. Doctors conduct neurophysiological studies to understand where it is best to make an incision. These studies are carried out before surgery, but they can also be conducted during surgery if necessary. Neurosurgeons take the safest route to the vascular neoplasm to remove it without consequences for the patient's health and quality of life.
Stereotactic radiosurgery
The destruction of the hemangioma by radiation is indicated for those patients for whom the operation is unsafe. Previously, it was rarely used due to the high risk of complications. As of today, patients are increasingly receiving radiosurgical treatment since modern radiation delivery options have become very accurate and have reduced the risk of post-radiation complications to a minimum.
The main advantage of the method is the absence of invasion. No incisions are needed, no rehabilitation is required, and there are no complications caused by the operation. Just a single session of irradiation will lead to the disappearance of the hemangioma. However, this does not happen immediately but over several months, which is considered the main drawback of the procedure, and the main reason why most patients still receive surgical treatment in case of severe symptoms, such as repeated epileptic seizures.
After hemangioma removal surgery, the risk of cerebral hemorrhage is reduced to a minimum in the first weeks after the operation. After radiosurgical treatment, it is 10% for 1 year but then decreases to 1%, which is comparable to surgical treatment.
Post-radiation complications are observed in 20% of patients. However, the introduction of modern methods of radiation therapy used in Germany has reduced the incidence of complications to 8%. Most of them are not severe and do not significantly affect the quality of life.
Endovascular treatment
Doctors in Germany use coil embolization and other embolization options. These procedures involve blocking blood vessels that supply the hemangioma with blood. Thrombi are formed in the area of placement of the coil, filling the cavity of the vascular tumor.
This is a minimally invasive X-ray guided manipulation performed through an incision in the leg. The technique is rarely used as an independent method. This is usually a preparation for neurosurgery that facilitates the reduction of the risk of hemorrhage.
You can go to Germany to undergo diagnostics, surgery, high-dose chemotherapy or coiling for cerebral hemangioma. On the Booking Health website, you can find the prices for treatment in different clinics in Germany. You are welcome to compare what is the price for treatment in medical facilities of different levels in order to book a medical care program at favorable prices. If you book it via the Booking Health service, then the price is final and it will not change even if additional medical procedures are required since all expenses up to 200,000 euros will be covered by insurance. Our experts will help you select the most suitable clinic and take care of the arrangement of the trip.
Authors:
The article was edited by medical experts, board certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova and Dr. Farrukh Ahmed. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
Sources:
MedicineNet
The Lancet
