Patients with severe brain damage can be saved thanks to operations from the arsenal of doctors of Ancient Egypt. A small hole is drilled in the skull to reduce the degree of edema.
The surgery, first mentioned in the time of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs, can save thousands of patients who face brain injuries every year. It involves making a small hole in the skull, which can be used to remove swelling that puts pressure on the brain. Note that the ancient Egyptians performed these procedures as one of the religious rituals.
Surgery on the fetal spine helps restore brain structure
A new study has shown that patients undergoing this surgical operation, called decompression craniotomy, are 20% less likely to die, compared with those victims of brain damage who receive standard therapy. Neurosurgeons are convinced that the ancient operation can really save lives, and it should be used more actively.
Scientists have created a mechanism for neuroprotection in brain injuries
In the UK alone, approximately 160,000 people are hospitalized every year with brain injuries most often caused by road accidents or falls from a height. When the brain is damaged, fluid accumulates inside the skull, which puts pressure on this organ, limiting its blood supply. As a result, brain cells begin to die, which provokes memory loss, paralysis and even death. Patients are usually given medication, but if these do not work, a ventriculostomy procedure, which involves inserting a tube through a hole in the skull to drain excess fluid, may be used. In a craniotomy, a larger opening is made in the back of the skull, which quickly relieves pressure. Then this hole is closed by the skin, and after the wound has healed, a titanium plate is installed in place of the hole. (READ MORE)