Brain Tumor Surgery

Neurosurgeons at DMC Harper University Hospital take an interdisciplinary approach to brain tumor therapy by collaborating with other departments and programs, including radiation oncology and medical neurooncology.

During surgery, Harper neurosurgeons use advanced brain-mapping techniques to identify and avoid injury to sites of language, motor, and sensory function. These techniques permit the neurosurgeon to resect the tumor to the maximum extent possible while minimizing injury to the surrounding brain tissue.

Harper also offers the most advanced surgical navigation systems, which permit the greatest precision in tumor resection. Harper was the first hospital in Michigan to offer Intraoperative MRI (iMRI), an advanced imaging technology that provides “near-real-time” MRI views during surgery. Expert use of this powerful technology results in greater precision, better surgical outcomes and faster recovery.

Innovative Treatment Options

From awake craniotomies to minimally invasive tumor surgery and non-invasive Gamma Knife® radiosurgery, many innovative treatment options are available.

• Gamma Knife ® radiosurgery is a revolutionary, non-invasive technology that uses precisely targeted beams of radiation — instead of scalpel incisions — for brain surgery. This innovative and effective procedure dissolves tumors, vascular malformations and other brain disorders with little or no damage to the surrounding tissue.
• Neurosurgeons at Harper University Hospital are pioneering minimally invasive neurosurgical procedures — accessing the brain through tiny burr holes or via the nose and sinus cavity. One procedure pioneered in Michigan at Harper University Hospital — Endoscopic Transnasal Transsphenoidal Hypophysectomy — is fast becoming the preferred choice for the treatment of pituitary tumors. Using a small endoscope, surgeons approach the pituitary gland through the patient's nose and sinus cavity. Since no incisions are necessary, the patient experiences virtually no pain and often returns home after only two days in the hospital.

Harper neurosurgeons can implant a "chemotherapy wafer" inside a resection cavity after removing a brain tumor — delivering a targeted dose of chemotherapy directly to affected tissue over time.