"I have no doubt that the
day will dawn when the
mystery of the mind is
no longer a mystery."
- Wilder Penfield
Canadian Neurosurgeon
The Mystery of the Mind
Neurosurgery
An Overview
Neurosurgery is the surgical treatment of all illnesses of the brain, spinal cord, central, and peripheral nervous system. This includes the treatment of brain tumors, blood vessel illnesses, epilepsy, movement disorders, trauma, infection, disc and bone disease in the spine, problems with peripheral nerves, including release of compression (such as carpal tunnel syndrome), removal of nerve tumors, and nerve biopsy for the diagnosis of complex peripheral nerve disorders.
Services
Neurosurgery is a rapidly expanding field, and Valley Medical Center also offers state-of-the-art image-guided surgery, minimizing the time and trauma in the operating room. Stereotactic radiosurgery can be a "no-touch" method of curing brain tumors. Epilepsy Surgery is performed for epileptic seizure control when anti-epileptic medications have proved ineffective. Valley Medical Center is a leader in endovascular neurosurgery, a recent specialization of neurosurgery in which aneurysms and vascular malformations are cured by means of catheters, balloons, and stents. Valley Medical Center is the only hospital in the Puget Sound area to offer three surgeons with familiarity with disc replacement with the recently FDA-approved intervertebral disc replacement.
Inpatient Program Description
The inpatient program is accomplished in Valley Medical Center's recently renovated suite of operating rooms, which include state-of-the-art imaging, microscopy, and on-line imaging and communication. All patients undergoing brain operations are observed at least overnight in Valley Medical Center's 16-bed Intensive Care Unit; patients with less intense immediate postoperative monitoring needs are cared for in Valley Medical Center's brand-new Neuroscience Institute's Ward, where there is availability of electroencephalography and video monitoring.
Outpatient Program Description
The outpatient program includes a wide array of neuroimaging modalities, include multiple CT scanners, PET scanning, and MRI scanning. The Neuroscience Institute maintains a close relationship with Valley's Occupational Medicine Unit for patients who have incurred on-the-job injuries relating to the nervous system, and patients can be served at any time through Valley's recently renovated, 100,000-patient-per-year-capability Emergency Room.