Brainstem Glioma

Brainstem Glioma refers to all kinds of brain tumours on the brainstem. Brainstem is that part of the brain which stores all the important functions of the body like swallowing, breathing and heart rate. Gliomas are basically astrocytomas ranging from Grade 1-4. These brain tumours can be slow growing or can be very aggressive. Because of the critical body functions being controlled by the brainstem, these brain tumours are extremely difficult to treat. The neurosurgeon has to be highly experienced and skilled as any damage to the brainstem while removing the tumour can result in deficit in the patient after the surgery.

As per Dr Jaspreet Singh Randhawa neurosurgeon at Medisyn Clinic and Ivy Hospital, Mohali in Punjab, the symptoms of brainstem glioma can be abonormlties in eye movement, weakness in one side of the face, numbness or weakness of the hands and legs, body imbalance, headaches and nausea. MRI Scan of the brain is conclusive in the diagnosis of Brainstem Glioma.

Treatment Options

For Grade-1 brainstem glioma, Dr Jaspreet Singh Randhawa Neurosurgeon at Ivy Hospital Mohali feels that surgery to remove the tumour is the best solution. In order to protect the brainstem, a good neurosurgeon will excise most of the tumour but will not try to remove the entire tumour. Intraoperative MRI or the Brain Suite helps in differentiating between the healthy live tissue of the brainstem and the tumour.

For Grade 2-4 brainstem gliomas surgery may not be possible and in such cases radiation therapy in combination with chemotherapy may be given to prevent malfunctioning of the brainstem which may affect critical functions of the body. The aggressive brainstem gliomas have a very high chance of recurrence which may happen within months of stopping the chemotherapy. Chemotherapy cannot be continued for a very long time as most of the patients of brainstem glioma are children who in any case cannot tolerate much of chemo cycles.

Best Doctors and Cost

Dr Jaspreet Singh Randhawa is one of the best trained and highly qualified neurosurgeon for doing Brainstem Tumour Surgery at Ivy Hospital, Mohali, Punjab in India. The cost of Brainstem Glioma Surgery at Ivy Hospital, Mohali is Rs. 1.5 - 2.5 lacs depending upon the size and complexity of the brainstem glioma. Ivy hospital, Mohali in Punjab has the latest microscopes and highly advanced surgical instruments to perform brain and spine surgeries with high level of precision. The hospital stay is 5-7 days and the patient is called to the hospital for removal of stitches 15 days after the surgery. If you have an individual health insurance policy then this surgery is covered after a period of 2 years from the date of inception of the policy. However if you are a beneficiary of company given policy then the surgery is covered from day one. Always go through the terms of your health insurance policy like room rent capping and co-payment to avoid any kind of financial shocks later on.