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 Following surgery
patients are admitted to the Neurosurgical Intensive Care
Unit, one of only two such units in New Jersey. This highly
specialized unit is staffed by physicians and nurses experienced
in caring for patients with neurosurgical disorders and managing
the unique postoperative needs of patients who have undergone
complex brain and spine surgery.
By combining the unprecedented skill of experienced
neurosurgeons with state-of-the-art radio-diagnostic and
imaging technology, the Saint Barnabas Institute of Neurology
and Neurosurgery is able to provide the residents of this
region with the most modern surgical treatment for complex
brain conditions. MRI facilities, including an open MRI for
those with claustrophobic concerns, are constantly being
upgraded to reflect the newest advances in imaging. In addition,
angiography, myelography and endovasular procedures such
as tumor embolization are performed at our centers. All surgical
procedures performed by the Division of Neurosurgery are
based on microsurgery and minimally invasive surgical principles
and are performed in modern dedicated operating rooms with
a staff of specially trained nurses and a select group of
anesthesiologists who specialize in neuro-anesthesia.
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Following surgery, patients are admitted to the
Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit, one of only two such units
in the state. As their condition allows, patients are transferred
to an intermediate care "step down" unit where their medical
care continues to be managed by a team of physicians including
neuro-intensivists. From there patients are admitted to a
dedicated neurosurgical floor where the nurses are specially
trained in the care of patients with neurological disorders,
as well as in managing intracranial pressure monitors and
lumbar drainage of cerebrospinal fluid. Rehabilitation begins
shortly after surgery and patients are usually discharged
within a few days.
Surgical treatments available at the Saint Barnabas
Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery include surgery for
benign and malignant brain tumors, cerebral aneurysms and
arteriovenous malformations and shunts
Surgery for malignant tumors is based on minimally
invasive radical microsurgical resection utilizing the computer-generated
data from radiographic studies, various types of ultrasound
and stereotaxic craniotomy. The treatment is augmented by
the use of the latest technological advances such as placement
of chemotherapeutic wafers into the bed of the tumor at the
time of surgery and individual tissue culture typing following
surgery for specificity of chemotherapeutic drugs most effective
against the tumor. A neuro-oncologist who specializes in
the treatment of brain tumors directs the often complex chemotherapeutic
care regimens, including participation in multiple national
brain tumor therapy protocols. Complex brain tumors including
those that invade other parts of the head and neck or require
extensive skull reconstruction utilizes the expertise of
a team of neurosurgeons and specially trained plastic and
ENT surgeons in the Skull Base Tumor Surgery Group, one of
only a few in the Tri-State area. The latest techniques and
most recent technical advances are utilized for the surgical
treatment of aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations, including
local circulatory arrest and retrograde perivenous resection
of AVM's.
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