Stereotactic surgery

The word "stereotaxic" literally means spatial positioning. In neurosurgery, it refers to a specific method which allows to accurately locate small anatomical structures or pathological processes, which are deeply located in the brain, and precisely introduce electrodes or cannulas to the calculated target points.

Currently the following stereotactic procedures are performed at the Department of Neurosurgery of the Saarland University Medical Center:

1. Stereotactic biopsies

2. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)

Stereotactic biopsy is used to obtain an accurate histological diagnosis of tumors in surgically difficult-to-access regions of the brain. This diagnosis represents the precondition for any further targeted treatment of patients.

The deep brain stimulation or DBS is a surgical procedure in which an electrode is implanted in certain small deeply located brain structures, in order to suppress electrically misguided brain activity - in terms of a "brain pacemaker". In this way, certain so-called functional disorders can be  influenced favorably.

These include:
1.certain movement disorders

• shaking (tremor)
• stiffness (rigidity)
• immobility (akinesia) and
• excessive movements (dyskinesia)

2. unbearable pain

3. focal epilepsies

4. psychological disorders

The main focus of deep brain stimulation in Homburg currently lies in the treatment of so-called extrapyramidal movement disorder, especially in:

1. Morbus Parkinson
2. benign essential tremor
3. Dystonias