The collaborative efforts between Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and the Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience works a new age in surgery of the brain and spine. As one of the most experienced and comprehensive neurosurgical programs in the nation, our neurosurgeons can help you plan the best diagnostic and treatment strategies for you or your loved one. The department offers the widest variety of treatment options in the Delaware Valley, performed by some of the most experienced neurosurgeons in the country.  The Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson, a National Cancer Institutes-designated medical center, treats more patients with malignant and benign brain tumors than all of the other area university-based hospital programs combined.

The initial management for most brain tumors is surgery to remove some, or all, of the tumor. This procedure is known as a craniotomy. The neurosurgeon who performs the operation often makes an opening in the skull and attempts to remove the tumor. If the entire tumor cannot be removed without damaging vital brain tissue, the doctor removes as much as possible. Partial removal will at least help to reduce pressure on the brain and reduce the amount of tumor remaining to be treated with radiation or chemotherapy.

In cases where tumors cannot be removed, the neurosurgeon may remove a small piece of the tumor so that a pathologist can examine it under a microscope and determine its compostition. This helps the doctor determine further treatment steps. This procedure can sometimes be done through a small hole in the skull.

Exciting trends in neurosurgery are combining three-dimensional, computer-assisted technology with surgical tools to help doctors more accurately plan and carry out brain surgery. For example, a computer aids the neurosurgeon by giving three-dimensional depth to brain imaging. Brain-mapping techniques also help neurosurgeons locate and avoid the vital areas of the brain that control language and motor function during tumor removal. Other sophisticated tools such as hand-held viewing wands, high-powered microscopes and microsurgical instruments are all making brain surgery more precise and outcomes even better.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery Program
Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience is the only medical center in the Delaware Valley equipped with all three of the leading units, or tools, dedicated to the performance of stereotactic radiosurgery, enabling us to provide a unique and versatile array of radiosurgery treatment options for patients with brain tumors. Each of these dedicated units has unique characteristics that may provide benefit to an patients, depending on specific circumstances. These units – Shaped Beam Surgery™, Gamma Knife and Linear Accelerator (LINAC) – are available through our  Stereotactic Radiosurgery Program.