Spinal Cord Lipoma — Surgical Resection: treatment in the Best Hospitals in the World
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Department of Spinal Surgery
The Department of Spinal Surgery annually treats more than 850 patients with spinal cord lipomas. The specialists remove the tumor endoscopically, with microsurgical techniques. The surgery involves the use of O-Arm system, which protects the spinal cord and minimizes the risk of neurological complications. The department is headed by Dr. med. A Bitter, who specializes in microsurgical spinal interventions.
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 Neurosurgery and Spinal Surgery
The Department of Neurosurgery and Spinal Surgery offers the full range of modern surgical procedures for patients with diseases of the brain, spinal cord, spine, and peripheral nervous system. The department has state-of-the-art equipment, including navigation systems, monitoring devices, surgical microscopes, intraoperative X-ray diagnostic systems, angiography systems, and laser equipment. In addition, a system for minimally invasive stereotactic interventions has been installed in the department's operating room. The department's neurosurgeons use the latest microsurgical and endoscopic techniques in their work. The medical facility is one of only three in Europe to successfully use the VISUALASE™ device for MRI-guided laser ablation to treat epilepsy. This minimally invasive procedure is highly effective and represents a real breakthrough in epilepsy surgery. The department's neurosurgeons always strive to provide the patient with optimal medical care. They talk in detail about each stage of treatment and are happy to answer the patient's questions. Neurologists and specialists in the field of neuroradiology are often involved in the therapeutic process, which guarantees a comprehensive approach to treatment.
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 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.
Spinal cord lipomas are most commonly diagnosed in children. These are benign dysembryogenetic (resulting from intrauterine development disorders) neoplasms with a soft and elastic consistency. They constantly grow and cause neurological damage, which is at first temporary but, if left untreated, will become irreversible. You can get rid of this tumor at one of the Spine Surgery Centers abroad. You are welcome to use the Booking Health service to find out the cost of treatment at different hospitals and countries and choose the best medical care program.
Content
- How dangerous are spinal cord lipomas?
- Principles of surgical treatment of spinal cord lipomas
- Spinal cord lipoma removal options
- Why to undergo your spinal cord lipoma treatment abroad?
How dangerous are spinal cord lipomas?
A spinal cord lipoma is a congenital disease. In its natural course, the condition leads to severe neurological symptoms, including paresis and loss of bladder control. With a timely surgical intervention, further progression of the disease and the patient's disability can be prevented.
Lipomas account for up to 11% of all congenital malformations of the spinal cord and up to 1% of spinal cord tumors. If the neoplasm develops in the lumbar spine and in the medullary cone, the clinical manifestations will be minimal. The tumor is soft, it grows slowly, and it has enough space for growth in these areas. If lipomas appear in the thoracic spine, they cause severe neurological symptoms associated with spinal cord compression.
The following are the most severe problems that can arise if lipoma treatment is delayed:
- abnormal curvature of the spine (scoliosis);
- muscle weakness and then paralysis;
- urinary and fecal incontinence;
- loss of sensation below the level of a spinal cord injury.
Principles of surgical treatment of spinal cord lipomas
Surgery is the only treatment for a lipoma. Early surgical resection is indicated even for patients with minimal clinical manifestations, as they will inevitably progress. In addition, if you delay your treatment, the symptoms will become irreversible, which means that they will not disappear even after surgery.
Even if a patient has no symptoms, doctors will still suggest removing the tumor as the lipoma inevitably progresses. The risk of developing symptoms is 40% within 10 years of follow-up monitoring. The symptoms will manifest themselves in almost all patients, even if this happens in a longer time frame.
When performing the surgical resection, doctors seek to separate the fibro-fatty mass from normal tissue and restore the normal anatomy of the spinal cord. As a result of surgery, more than half of patients experience pain relief, improved mobility, reduced sensory disturbances, and improved bladder control.
Spinal cord lipoma removal options
Doctors at the Centers for Surgery of the Spine abroad use the following options for removing spinal cord lipomas:
- classical surgical resection of lipomas with mechanical instruments;
- ultrasound-guided destruction followed by aspiration (destruction and suction) involves the removal of the tumor's adipose component, significantly reducing its volume (but leaving the fibrous component intact);
- laser vaporization (evaporation of the tumor with a laser);
- traction bipolar coagulation (the tumor is excised under tension using a bipolar coagulator as a tool for dissecting tissues).
Tumor removal can be total or partial. Total lipoma resection is more preferable, as it allows doctors to remove the spinal cord lipoma once and for all. In this case, the risk of the disease recurring is minimal.
Partial removal of the lipoma usually results in its recurrence. Half of patients experience symptoms within the first 10 years after such surgery. Partial removal, however, has its advantages. The operation can be performed using a more sparing technique through short incisions and without removing the vertebral arches. When performing partial lipoma resection, doctors often use different energies, such as laser or ultrasound. If the tumor starts to grow again, the minimally invasive procedure can be repeated.
Microsurgical resection is a more reliable treatment option for spinal cord lipomas. Doctors can remove the tumor completely, and it will never recur. This operation, however, is more traumatic. Doctors have to perform a laminectomy, during which they will remove the spinous processes and vertebral arches to approach the spinal cord. These patients remain at risk for spinal instability. The stabilization of the spine requires rigid fixation of two adjacent vertebrae or implantation of a dynamic stabilization system.
Why to undergo your spinal cord lipoma treatment abroad?
You can undergo your spinal cord lipoma resection abroad, at one of the best Spinal Surgery Centers. The Booking Health website presents leading hospitals in Europe and the world that admit foreign patients. On our website, you can find out the cost of treatment for different diseases of the spine and brain to choose a medical care program at the best price.
Treatment abroad has the following benefits:
- accurate diagnostics allow for choosing the optimal time for surgery and determining the surgical tactics;
- microsurgical resection can be performed reliably and safely by experienced specialists;
- successful treatment of children of any age, including newborns;
- minimal incisions to keep the spine stable;
- implantation of dynamic spinal stabilization systems to avoid the development of any diseases in the adjacent spinal segments, if necessary;
- surgery under neuromonitoring guidance and intraoperative medical imaging to reduce the risk of complications and completely remove spinal cord lipomas;
- ultrasound or laser can be used to perform minimally invasive lipoma removal;
- full neurological rehabilitation after surgery will help you recover faster and get rid of neurological deficits.
You are welcome to make an appointment for your treatment abroad through the Booking Health service. In this case, the cost of treatment for you will be lower than when you contact the hospital directly. The price will be reduced due to the absence of taxes for foreign patients. The specialists from the Booking Health company will help you select a hospital and arrange your trip.
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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