Cranial Procedures

Surgeries of the skull and brain are among the most complicated surgical procedures performed.  The brain is the control center for the body and absolute precision is required for surgical procedures on or near this vital organ.

Cranial procedures are used to treat injuries, diseases, and congenital abnormalities of the brain that cause the patient pain and/or interfere with life.  Head trauma may result in a brain bleed that causes life threatening pressure inside the skull.  An aneurysm, a leak of cerebrospinal fluid, or an abnormal clump of blood vessels in the brain must be treated surgically before the conditions become life threatening.  A brain tumor threatening healthy tissue must be removed.  All of these conditions are treated with one of these cranial procedures:

• Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Shunt Placement/Removal
• Craniectomy
• Craniotomy
• Neuroendoscopy
• Surgery of Skull Base

Board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Frederick Todd and his team are expertly trained in the techniques required to perform cranial procedures.  Many of these procedures utilize CT or MRI scans to precisely map the surgical approach and special frames to hold the head in place. When possible, Dr. Todd uses minimally invasive techniques which tend to have shorter hospital stays and recovery times.