Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery - Memorial Bahcelievler Hospital Istanbul

About the Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery at Memorial Bahcelievler Hospital Istanbul

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Memorial Bahсelievler Hospital Istanbul offers the full range of surgical treatment of diseases of the nervous system according to the highest international standards. The department's doctors specialize in the surgical treatment of pathologies of the brain and spinal cord, as well as diseases of the peripheral nerves. The department's medical team provides its services to patients of all age categories – from young children to the elderly. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Gokhan Bozkurt.

The department has high-tech operating rooms, where endoscopic and microsurgical interventions are successfully performed, ensuring the fastest recovery and excellent treatment results. For maximum safety of surgical treatment, the doctors widely use in their clinical practice cutting-edge neuromonitoring and neuronavigation systems, intraoperative CT O-Arm, intraoperative ultrasonography and other technologies. The navigation systems are used during the surgical interventions on the brain and spinal cord. They also serve for 3D imaging of the operating field. Before the intervention, the doctor plans surgical manipulations according to the preliminary MRI scans. All tomography results are stored in a computer program. During the operation, the special camera reads the actual data from the operating table and compares it with the previously obtained MRI images. Neuronavigation also allows the surgeon to see the position of the surgical instruments in the operating field in three projections, on the monitor, and perform the manipulations without risk of damaging vital brain structures. Thus, the department's specialists provide patients with the highest level of safety and are able to perform operations in hard-to-reach areas of the brain. Thanks to neuronavigation, most of the operations in the department are performed using minimally invasive techniques, through small incisions.

One of the key focuses of the medical facility is on the surgical treatment of brain and spinal cord tumors. The operations are performed in both adults and children. The treatment of such pathologies requires an interdisciplinary and integrated approach. Therefore, the department regularly holds tumor boards with the participation of neurosurgeons, oncologists, radiologists, neuroradiologists and other doctors of related specialties. The doctors cooperatively develop optimal treatment tactics, taking into account the clinical specificities of the patient, the stage and size of the tumor, the patient's age, and his general health condition. In most cases, surgery is complemented by chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.

The department's tasks also include the provision of medical care to patients with spinal diseases. The focus of the department's doctors is on patients with hernias of all regions of the spine, spinal injuries, spinal stenosis and congenital spinal anomalies. If possible, the department's specialists carry out endoscopic and microsurgical operations. The use of neuronavigation and neuromonitoring systems eliminates risks for the patient, including the risks of damage to the spinal cord and spinal nerves.

The neurosurgical interventions in children deserve special attention. The department's neurosurgeons most often admit for treatment children with brain and spinal cord tumors, vascular diseases of the nervous system, hydrocephalus (excessive accumulation of fluid in the brain) and spina bifida.

The department's range of neurosurgical services includes:

• Surgical treatment of cerebrovascular diseases
  • Cerebral aneurysms
  • Brain arteriovenous malformation
  • Carotid artery stenosis
  • Intracerebral hemorrhage
  • Cerebral venous thrombi
• Surgical treatment of brain tumors, including brain metastases
• Surgical treatment of spinal cord tumors
• Surgical treatment of spinal diseases
  • Cervical, lumbar and thoracic disc herniation
  • Spinal stenosis
  • Spinal injuries
• Surgical treatment of traumatic brain injuries
• Functional neurosurgery
  • Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders
  • Spasticity
  • Epilepsy
• Surgical treatment of diseases of the nervous system in children
  • Brain and spinal cord tumors
  • Cerebrovascular diseases
  • Hydrocephalus
  • Spina bifida
• Other surgical services