Spinal Astrocytoma — Surgical treatment of Astrocytoma in the Best Hospitals of Germany
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Department of Spinal Surgery
The Department of Spinal Surgery at the Vivantes Auguste-Victoria Hospital all diseases of the spine - both conservatively and operatively. Patients with herniated intervertebral discs, displacement of vertebrae, stenosis of the spinal canal or back pain are treated here. In addition, specialists of the department have a unique experience in the field of complex reconstructive and revision surgeries, which are conducted to continue or correct the previous surgical treatment.
Department of Spinal Surgery
The Department of Spinal Surgery offers the full range of effective treatment methods in the area of its specialization. A highly qualified team of doctors is at the service of the department's patients, who have in their arsenal advanced conservative and surgical treatment methods for pathological changes in the spine. Spinal surgical procedures are performed in modern operating rooms, the technical equipment of which allows spinal surgeons to perfectly perform both major open surgery and sparing interventions: minimally invasive, endoscopic, and microsurgical. Surgical treatment is complemented by a carefully planned course of physiotherapy. This includes procedures such as therapeutic exercises, manual therapy, massage, osteopathic treatment, etc. The department's team of doctors consists of 10 highly qualified specialists who, together with experienced nursing staff, admit more than 1,300 inpatients annually. The medical facility is certified by the German Society for Spine Surgery (DWG) as a level II specialized center. The department's medical team makes every effort to provide each patient with optimal treatment in a pleasant and friendly atmosphere.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Spinal Surgery
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Spinal Surgery offers all the possibilities of modern surgical treatment for diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system in patients of all ages. More than 6,000 surgical procedures are performed annually in the department's high-tech operating rooms. Both planned and emergency neurosurgical procedures are performed here. The department's surgical team focuses on patients with cerebrovascular diseases, brain and skull base tumors, spine and spinal cord diseases, cerebrospinal fluid circulation disorders, and pathologies of the peripheral nervous system. The department's team of physicians also has extensive experience in functional neurosurgery: specialists perform deep brain stimulation for movement disorders, spinal cord stimulation for back pain, and vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy. The department works closely with neurologists, radiologists, and nuclear medicine specialists to provide patients with the highest level of comprehensive medical care. The department is recognized as one of the top neurosurgical centers in Germany and beyond, as evidenced by consistently high treatment success rates and numerous quality certifications, including the German Cancer Society (DKG) Certificate, the German Spine Society (DWG) Certificate, and the Leading Medicine Guide Certificate.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery offers the full range of surgical treatment of diseases of the brain, spine, spinal cord and nerves in adults and children. The department keeps pace with new trends in medicine, as well as contributes significantly to their development. Therefore, the most modern diagnostic and therapeutic methods are available here. An individual approach to each clinical case is crucial to ensure optimal treatment results with the preservation of all neurological functions.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery
According to the Focus magazine, the Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery ranks among the top German medical facilities specializing in the surgical treatment of brain tumors! The department offers the full range of diagnostics and surgical treatment of diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. A specially trained team of pediatric neurosurgeons provides treatment for various neurosurgical pathologies in children. During the treatment, the doctors use state-of-the-art equipment, in particular, imaging-guided neuronavigation, functional imaging (fMRI), intraoperative mapping, intraoperative videoangiography, etc.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Spinal Surgery
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Spinal Surgery offers modern diagnostics and effective treatment of the full range of diseases, injuries, inflammatory processes, tumors and malformations of the brain, spinal cord and their meninges, as well as spinal diseases. Spinal surgery is performed in collaboration with doctors from the Department of Adult and Pediatric Traumatology, Orthopedic Surgery. The department admits adults and children with malformations of the nervous system, brain and spinal cord tumors, drug-resistant epilepsy and other diseases. As one of the largest medical facilities of this kind in Germany, the department's doctors annually perform more than 2,500 surgical interventions on the brain and spinal cord, peripheral nerve endings. The department's specialists also perform over 400 spinal surgical procedures annually. To achieve high success rates of the surgical treatment, doctors use the very latest equipment, including neuronavigation systems. Thanks to this, surgeons not only successfully eliminate the pathology, but also guarantee the patient maximum safety. The department has 78 beds, including 14 beds in the Intensive Care Unit. The priority goal of the department's medical team is to provide high-quality treatment focused on the patient's needs.
Department of Neurosurgery and Spinal Surgery
The Department of Neurosurgery and Spinal Surgery provides top-class medical care for patients with diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems. The medical facility performs surgery of any complexity on the brain, spinal cord, spine, and peripheral nerves. The department is the largest healthcare facility of this kind in Germany and has a team of highly professional neurosurgeons with long clinical experience. The department's specialists focus on patients with brain tumors (gliomas, meningiomas, and brain metastases), neurovascular diseases (aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, and dural arteriovenous fistulas), and traumatic brain injuries. Spinal surgeons operate on patients with herniated discs, spinal canal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, spondylodiscitis, spinal fractures, and spinal tumors. The department extensively uses minimally invasive surgical techniques that allow for good therapeutic results with high safety in surgical manipulations. The medical facility has two hybrid operating rooms with state-of-the-art equipment, including the Zeego® intraoperative robotic angiography system and the intraoperative Brainsuite® MRI.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Orthopedics
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Orthopedics is the center of maximum orthopedic care and offers the diagnostics and treatment of all diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system. Along with the full range of modern operative and conservative orthopedics, the department specializes in hip and knee replacement surgery using the minimally invasive methods, replacement/revision of prostheses, orthopaedic oncology, foot surgery and patella problems in the patella.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Orthopedics, Trauma Surgery, Foot Surgery
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Orthopedics, Trauma Surgery, Foot Surgery offers the full range of diagnostics, conservative and surgical treatment of musculoskeletal diseases and injuries. The department is a certified Endoprosthetics Center – more than 1,000 primary joint replacement surgeries are performed here annually. The surgeons of the Endoprosthetics Center also specialize in particularly complex clinical cases and revision procedures for the replacement of previously implanted artificial joints. In addition, the department has the status of the interregional Trauma Center certified in accordance with the standards of the German Trauma Society. The department has also been awarded a Certificate of Excellence from the German Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (DAF) in the field of foot surgery. A separate area of clinical activity is the treatment of diseases, injuries and congenital malformations of the musculoskeletal system in children. Depending on the severity of the clinical case, both conservative and surgical techniques are used in the treatment of orthopedic pathologies in children. The department's medical team prefers sparing low-traumatic surgery, while open operations are performed only if other therapeutic options are ineffective.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Spinal Surgery
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Spinal Surgery provides a full range of services in its areas of expertise. The department's doctors operate on patients with brain and spinal cord tumors, central nervous system malformations, epilepsy, traumatic brain injuries, degenerative disc diseases, spinal stenosis, spinal cord injuries, and peripheral nervous system pathologies. Neurosurgeons specialize in treating patients of all ages, including children and adolescents. Pediatricians, pediatric oncologists, radiologists, and neuroradiologists are involved in the treatment of young patients. Surgical procedures to treat pathologies of the nervous system are performed by highly qualified surgeons with extensive clinical experience. The physicians use state-of-the-art equipment in their work: intraoperative imaging systems, neuronavigation devices, and fluorescence imaging. Advanced technologies are key to effective and safe treatment, as damage to vital anatomical structures of the brain or spinal cord may cause severe neurological deficits. More than 2,000 operations are performed annually in the department's state-of-the-art operating rooms, the majority of which are for brain tumors. The department treats more than 11,000 patients each year. For many years, it has been one of the leading neurosurgical centers in Germany that treats patients from many European countries.
Department of General Orthopedics and Orthopedic Oncology
The Department of General Orthopedics and Orthopedic Oncology offers the full range of conservative and surgical treatment of all musculoskeletal diseases. The department ranks among the largest medical facilities of this kind in Germany, as well as among the specialized authoritative departments for the treatment of bone and soft tissue tumors in the European medical arena. The treatment is carried out both on an outpatient and inpatient basis, including the outpatient operations. In addition to its successful clinical activities, the department is proud of its productive research work, which has given birth to many innovations in orthopedics, for example, the department's specialists have patented the very latest prosthetic systems, particularly in the field of orthopedic oncology.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery offers the full range of modern services in this medical field. The high level of technical equipment in the department allows for the performance of all highly specialized surgical interventions to treat pathologies of the central and peripheral nervous system. The clinical practice mainly focuses on the diagnostics and surgical treatment of diseases, injuries of the brain, spine, spinal cord, intervertebral discs, nerve plexuses, functional neurosurgery and the treatment of neurosurgical pathologies in children.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery offers all modern surgical interventions for the treatment of pathologies of the nervous system. The clinical focuses include the treatment of oncological diseases of the nervous system (neuro-oncology), skull base surgery, vascular neurosurgery, spinal surgery and functional neurosurgery, including the surgical treatment of epilepsy. As a state-of-the-art medical facility, the department has the advanced systems for deep brain stimulation, multimodal neuronavigation devices, intraoperative neuronavigation using CT, ultrasound systems, fluorescence imaging devices and endoscopy equipment. Thus, the department has all the possibilities to ensure effective treatment according to the international standards.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Spinal Surgery
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Spinal Surgery offers the full range of services in these fields and specializes in the surgical treatment of diseases of the brain and spinal cord, peripheral nervous system and spine. The important areas of the department's clinical activity also include neuro-oncology, vascular neurosurgery and pediatric neurosurgery. The treatment is provided in four state-of-the-art operating rooms equipped with all the necessary facilities. The department admits about 2,700 inpatients and 4,100 outpatients annually. The team of the department's neurosurgeons is distinguished by high professionalism, and performs many operations using sparing minimally invasive surgical techniques. Navigation systems, intraoperative monitoring devices, 5-ALA fluorescence are successfully used during the surgical treatment. Each operation is carefully planned using advanced navigation devices (under the guidance of CT and MRI scanning). In general, the department's surgeons annually perform more than 4,000 neurosurgical interventions, and therefore they are justifiably proud of their unique clinical experience and treatment results.
Department of Orthopedics, Trauma Surgery and Foot Surgery
The Department of Orthopedics, Trauma Surgery and Foot Surgery provides a full range of modern diagnostics and conservative and surgical treatment of musculoskeletal diseases. The primary clinical interest of the department's team of doctors is the medical care of patients with diseases of large joints, spine, and foot, bone and soft tissue sarcomas, injuries of any severity, including multiple and geriatric. The department includes a specialized Maximum Care Joint Replacement Center (EndoCert and ClarCert certified), which successfully performs partial and total knee and hip arthroplasty. It should be noted that these operations are performed through a minimally invasive approach, which allows for postoperative restoration of mobility in the shortest possible time. The department also has a well-developed area of arthroscopic surgery of the knee, hip, and shoulder joints and offers modern methods of treatment of foot and ankle pathologies. The high quality of medical care is confirmed by numerous prestigious certificates, such as the certificate of the German Spine Society (DWG), the certificate of the German Foot and Ankle Society (DAF), the certificate of the German Society for Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery (DGOU), the certificate of the German Cancer Society (DKG), the certificate of the German Knee Society (DKG), the certificate of the German Trauma Society (DGU), and others.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Spinal Surgery
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Spinal Surgery offers the full range of diagnostic examinations and surgical treatment of diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems. The team of the department's neurosurgeons successfully performs operations for pathologies of the brain and spinal cord, spine, neurovascular pathologies, pituitary diseases, and epilepsy. The doctors specialize in surgery for malignant brain tumors. The department is part of the Gliome Competence Center Network and the German Cancer Aid. The department uses the latest minimally invasive microsurgical techniques, navigation systems, intraoperative systems, and other advanced technical resources that allow for an optimal therapy result. The department has 84 beds for its patients, 10 of which are intended for intensive care. Medical care is based on an individual approach with due consideration of the patient's specific clinical data and needs. The specialists working at the medical facility always devote enough time to personal communication with their patients and do everything possible so that they receive effective treatment and maintain a decent quality of life.
Spinal astrocytomas are rare tumors of the central nervous system. These neoplasms vary in their grade. Unlike the brain, where predominantly malignant astrocytomas develop, the spinal cord is often affected by benign tumors. Fortunately, the disease is curable. The probability of cure is highest in the case of complete surgical tumor removal. You can go to Germany to undergo your surgical treatment of spinal cord astrocytoma. This is where you will have the best chance of recovery.
Content
- How can spinal cord astrocytomas be treated?
- Preoperative diagnostics for spinal cord astrocytomas
- How is tumor removal surgery performed in Germany?
- What treatment results can be expected in patients with spinal cord astrocytomas?
- Why is it best to undergo your spinal astrocytoma treatment at German hospitals?
- Prices for the treatment of spinal astrocytomas at German hospitals
Doctors remove the vertebral arches to approach the spinal cord. They then resect the tumor as completely as possible to avoid recurrence and the need for any additional treatment. German surgeons use intraoperative neuromonitoring to avoid damaging important areas of the spinal cord.
You can seek medical attention from the Charite University Hospital Berlin, the Vivantes Auguste-Victoria Hospital Berlin, or the Catholic Clinic Koblenz-Montabaur.
Our company's employees will take care of organizing your trip to Germany. We will help you choose a hospital, contact its administration, and make an appointment on your preferred day. We will also book hotel and airline tickets, meet you at the German airport, and take you to the hospital by car.
How can spinal cord astrocytomas be treated?
Because spinal cord astrocytomas are very rare tumors, standard treatment approaches have yet to be developed. Therapeutic tactics may therefore vary at different hospitals.
Treatment usually begins with surgery. The tactics used after the surgical treatment depend on whether doctors have managed to remove the neoplasm completely, and what grade it has. If the tumor was benign and completely removed, no further treatment is required. If the neoplasm was partially removed, as well as in the case of a high-grade spinal cord astrocytoma, postoperative radiation therapy and systemic chemotherapy are required. In recent years, doctors have also begun using targeted therapy.
For patients with malignant tumors, both surgical treatment of spinal cord astrocytomas and radiation therapy can be used. It has not yet been established which of these approaches works best.
Preoperative diagnostics for spinal cord astrocytomas
Prior to undergoing treatment of astrocytoma, a patient will be diagnosed. The main method of imaging the spinal cord in Germany is an MRI. The technique is very accurate and allows doctors to suggest the histological type of the tumor and its grade even before obtaining tissue samples for a histological examination. An MRI scan also determines the boundaries of the tumor and helps doctors plan surgery. Healthcare professionals can also use computed tomography to assess the condition of the vertebrae. Many patients undergo neurophysiological studies before their treatment. With their help, doctors detect important areas of the spinal cord that cannot be damaged during surgery, so as not to cause a neurological deficit.
How is tumor removal surgery performed in Germany?
Surgical treatment is performed under general anesthesia. A doctor performs a laminectomy, that is, removes the vertebral arches to approach the spinal cord. The task of neurosurgeons is then to detect the tumor tissue and remove it as completely as possible. At the same time, it is important to prevent aggravation of the neurological deficit.
During treatment, doctors separate tumor tissue from normal tissue. The boundary can usually be seen if a patient has a low-grade astrocytoma. High-grade tumors are, however, characterized by infiltrative growth. Tumor tissue grows into normal tissue and does not have a clear boundary. Such neoplasms cannot be completely removed. They are partially removed, and then doctors try to control the disease with radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
The following options can be used for the resection of spinal cord astrocytomas, depending on the extent of surgery:
- total resection, which implies a complete removal of the neoplasm;
- subtotal resection, which implies an almost complete removal of the tumor;
- partial resection is when only part of the tumor is removed.
Optimal treatment results can be achieved in the case of total tumor removal. It depends on the technologies used and the experience of a neurosurgeon. In countries with poor medicine, spinal cord astrocytomas can be completely removed in only 5% of cases. At the same time, doctors at the best and highly specialized Neurosurgery Centers in Germany manage to perform total resection of low-grade astrocytomas in 72% of cases. This usually results in a cure for the disease since such tumors rarely recur after their total removal.
An important task facing neurosurgeons is preserving spinal cord functions. It is necessary to avoid the development of a neurological deficit so that after the operation a patient maintains work capacity and a high quality of life. After tumor removal, the neurological deficit sharply decreases in the first few days. Patients then undergo their rehabilitation, and further improvement will be achieved within a few more weeks.
When performing the operation, doctors use advanced technologies to more likely remove the astrocytoma completely and, at the same time, not damage the functionally important areas of the spinal cord. The specialists usually use the following technologies:
- intraoperative neurophysiological diagnostics;
- intraoperative ultrasound or computed tomography;
- neuronavigation.
Doctors in Germany use modern operating microscopes and other equipment that allows them to perform surgical interventions with the best results and a low risk of complications. At the final stage of the surgical intervention, the spine will be stabilized. The stability of the spine is usually impaired due to the removal of vertebral bone tissue to reach the spinal cord. Doctors can fix adjacent vertebrae (spinal fusion) or implant dynamic stabilization systems to stabilize the spine. The second option is more physiological because it allows patients to preserve movement in their spine and thereby reduce the risk of developing a disease in the adjacent spinal segments.
What treatment results can be expected in patients with spinal cord astrocytomas?
The success of the surgical treatment depends on the following factors:
- whether a doctor has managed to completely remove the tumor (the fact of total resection can be confirmed by a postoperative MRI scan);
- tumor grade;
- patient's age.
The younger the patient, the better the prognosis. The best results can be achieved before the age of 25, and after 40, the prognosis worsens.
The possibility of total tumor resection is determined, on the one hand, by the level of medical care provided and, on the other hand, by astrocytoma grade. There are four such grades in total. 1-2 grade tumors are usually successfully treated. If the tumor is completely removed, the risk of its recurrence is minimal. Even if it cannot be completely removed, the residual tumor can be destroyed using radiation therapy. As a result, up to 93% of patients undergoing their treatment in developed countries achieve a five-year survival rate. However, if the tumor is malignant, a cure is unlikely. Such neoplasms can be removed only partially. Surgery and follow-up radiation therapy help doctors increase a person's life expectancy by several years.
Why is it best to undergo your spinal astrocytoma treatment at German hospitals?
German hospitals offer top-class medical services. All the innovations in spinal surgery are available in Germany, and the hospitals are equipped with the latest technology. The surgical treatment of astrocytoma in this country will be more effective and safe and will significantly reduce the neurological deficit after surgery. With a high probability, the operation will help cure the disease completely.
Treatment at German hospitals has the following benefits:
- high-precision preoperative diagnostics will help doctors plan the treatment perfectly;
- with a high probability, the spinal cord tumor will be completely removed, which maximizes the chances of curing the disease;
- intraoperative diagnostics reduces the risk of damage to functionally important structures of the spinal cord and the formation of a neurological deficit;
- the spinal stability is preserved following the operation;
- patients can undergo neurorehabilitation to maximize the function of their spinal cord after surgery.
Prices for the treatment of spinal astrocytomas at German hospitals
You are welcome to visit the Booking Health website to find out prices at German hospitals. Our website shows the cost of treatment at different Spinal Surgery Centers. You can compare the cost of treatment and choose a treatment program at the best price.
The cost of treatment varies at different German hospitals, as it depends on many factors, such as the type of hospital (prices at university hospitals are higher), the methods used, and equipment. The choice of doctor may also affect the price.
You should not choose a German hospital based only on the price. The surgical removal of an astrocytoma is a complex operation, and its results vary greatly at different hospitals. You can use the recommendations of the Booking Health service. We put the recommended hospitals at the top of the list. In addition, we can individually select a hospital that specializes in the removal of spinal cord tumors, has vast experience, uses the most advanced equipment, and achieves outstanding success in this field of spinal surgery.
Please leave your request on the Booking Health website to get a consultation. Our specialists will take care of organizing your treatment in Germany. We will help you prepare your documents, book hotel and airline tickets, meet you at the airport, and take you to the hospital by car. When you choose a treatment program through Booking Health, you will save significantly due to the absence of taxes for foreign patients.
Authors:
The article was edited by medical experts, board-certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova and Dr. Vadim Zhiliuk. 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!
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