After pediatric brain surgery you should expect the child to have some side effects such as infection and blood collection around the site of operation and brain surgery can also cause swelling in the brain.
Your child's surgical team will watch the swelling in the brain closely and give any treatment necessary to reduce any brain swelling.
Recovery time after your child's brain surgery or pediatric brain surgery is around 6 weeks although some kids may take several months to fully recover from the brain surgery.
The childlike behaviors after brain surgery are lack of empathy, aggression, impulsivity and moodiness.
The childlike behaviors after brain surgery may or may not be permanent depending on the severity of damage and how it is managed.
Brain surgery is safe for kids just as it's safe for adults although brain surgery does carry some risks for kids and adults but most kids and adults or anyone else that have brain surgery come out of it just fine.
A child would need brain surgery to correct issues with the brain or to repair brain damage from a head injury or more commonly for brain tumors.
The most common reason a child would need brain surgery is for a brain tumor.
Common brain surgeries for kids are craniotomy and craniectomy which are done to remove brain tumors.
A craniectomy is a type of brain surgery to remove a portion of the skull which helps to relieve extra pressure on the brain.
The brain sits inside the strong bones of the skull and these bones help protect the brain.
During a head injury, blood vessels in the brain may break open and spill blood into the brain tissue.
The most common brain surgery in kids is a craniotomy for treating and removing a brain tumor.
A craniotomy is performed by a neurosurgeon on the child to remove as much of the tumor as is safely possible.
A complete removal of a brain tumor is called a total resection.
Pediatric brain tumors are very rare and only occur in 5 out of every 100,000 children.
Some pediatric brain tumors are curable and others are inoperable meaning the child will die regardless of treatment.
The sooner the brain tumor is caught the higher the chance the child has at surviving the pediatric brain tumor.
Pediatric brain tumors are sometimes genetic as some tumors have germ line mutations and are hereditary.
The majority of pediatric brain tumors result from somatic mutations and are not hereditary.
And central nervous system tumors on the brain and spine are the most common solid tumor in children.
More children are getting brain tumors because of inherited gene changes.
Studies have found that the gene changes which cause some rare inherited syndromes such as tuberous sclerois, neurofibromatosis, Li-Fraumeni syndrome and Von Hippel-Lindau disease increase the risk of children developing some spinal cord tumors and brain tumors.
A child can survive a malignant brain tumor if it is caught soon enough and is treated or removed through surgery.
Some brain tumors in children have a 95 percent long term survival rate although there are some types of brain tumors that are not survivable.
The most aggressive brain tumor in children is Glioblastoma multiforme Grade 4 which is the most malignant type of astrocytoma that grows rapidly and often causes pressure in the child's brain.
The tumors will require a combination of treatments.
The life expectancy for a child with a brain tumor is around 5 to 8 years although some children with brain tumors live longer.
In some cases the child may be cured of the brain tumor and survive a normal lifespan.
The life expectancy of the child with the brain tumor will vary depending on the type of the brain tumor and how far advanced it is.
The most common brain tumor in pediatric is Astrocytoma which is a brain and spinal cord tumor in children also known as glioma.
When a child has a brain tumor they will experience headaches, vomiting and nausea, sleepiness, hearing, vision or speech changes, personality changes, balance problems, seizures and increased head size.
If your child experiences any of these symptoms or complains of a constant headache or headache that gets worse they should be taken to the ER.
Brain tumors in children can be deadly if not treated soon enough.
Even with treatment brain tumors in children can still be fatal.
Always take the symptoms of a brain tumor seriously and seek medical attention right away.
Several tests can help the doctor determine whether a brain tumor is present in your child.
These tests for a child's brain tumor can include: A neurological exam — Tests your child's reflexes, muscle strength, sensation, eye and mouth movement, coordination and alertness.
Imaging tests — Detailed pictures of the brain's structures and possible signs of a tumor.
The red flags of a brain tumor include difficulty swallowing, facial weakness or numbness, or double vision is a symptom of a tumor in the brain stem.
Vision changes, including loss of part of the vision or double vision can be from a tumor in the temporal lobe, occipital lobe, or brain stem.
About 3 out of 4 children with brain tumors (all types combined) survive at least 5 years after being diagnosed. But the outlook can vary a great deal based on the type of tumor, where it is, and other factors.
Brain tumors are relatively rare in children, occurring in only five of every 100,000 children.
Brain tumors can most often be removed from a child through brain surgery although it's a risky surgery.
Chemotherapy and chemotherapy drugs are also other treatment options for brain tumors in a child which is less risky than brain surgery.