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It usually varies between 2 and 8 hours depending on the tumor type and location; a simple meningioma resection takes 2–3 hours, while deep-seated or awake glioma surgery can reach 6–8 hours. Duration alone is not a measure of success. After surgery, 24–48 hours of intensive care and a total hospital stay of 3–7 days are typical.

No. For some tumors surgery is the first choice, but a small asymptomatic meningioma can be observed, lymphoma is treated with chemotherapy-radiotherapy rather than surgery, and in some deep-seated gliomas biopsy and Gamma Knife may be preferred. The correct method is determined by tissue diagnosis and multidisciplinary evaluation.

No. Modern practice aims for as little shaving as possible; in most cases only a narrow strip along the incision line is shaved. Shaving the entire head is now rarely necessary.

Yes. You can send your existing MRI or CT images via WhatsApp (+90 533 075 72 94) and receive a preliminary assessment. If appropriate, you will be invited to our clinic in Izmir Konak for an examination, and additional imaging will be planned if needed.

No. Most aneurysms never rupture and remain unnoticed; in small aneurysms (<7 mm) the annual rupture risk is quite low. The risk varies with size, location, family history and growth rate, and is estimated with tools such as the PHASES score.

Both are effective methods with a 90–95% success rate reported in the literature; the 'better' one is the one most suitable for the patient. Coiling is less invasive and recovery is quick but carries a risk of reopening; clipping offers a permanent solution but requires a craniotomy. The decision is made according to the characteristics of the aneurysm and patient factors.

If you have the worst headache of your life beginning within seconds (a feeling that 'something burst in my head') together with neck stiffness, nausea and vomiting or confusion, go to the emergency department immediately and call the emergency number. This picture may be a subarachnoid haemorrhage due to a ruptured aneurysm.

Most aneurysms are not hereditary. However, if your first-degree relatives have a history of two or more aneurysms or brain haemorrhages, the familial risk increases; in that case screening with MRA may be recommended. You can share your MRI/CT images via WhatsApp (+90 533 075 72 94) to receive a preliminary assessment.

A shunt transfers excess CSF to the abdominal cavity through a permanent tube-valve system and usually remains for life. ETV, on the other hand, creates an opening in the floor of the ventricle to make the body's own fluid circulation work again; it leaves no foreign body in the body. A shunt comes to the fore in communicating hydrocephalus and NPH, ETV in suitable obstructive cases. The method is chosen according to the type of hydrocephalus and the patient.

In most patients in whom a shunt is placed, CSF circulation does not recover by itself, so the system is permanent. Despite this, the great majority of patients return to school, work and daily life; swimming, walking and cycling are suitable, only high-impact contact sports and deep diving are not recommended. In cases where ETV is successful, a shunt may not be needed.

NPH is a treatable condition, and with a shunt a significant proportion of patients are reported to have meaningful improvement in gait and cognitive function; however, the same degree of success cannot be guaranteed in every patient. To predict the chance of success, a 'tap test' can be performed before surgery. Coming with a walking video and a recent MRI makes the assessment easier.

You can send your existing MRI images (and, in suspected NPH, additionally a walking video) via WhatsApp (+90 533 075 72 94). If appropriate, you will be invited to our clinic in Izmir Konak for an examination; if needed, additional imaging such as a CSF-flow MRI and a tap test will be planned.

Often no. A small, asymptomatic, slow-growing meningioma can be observed with periodic MRI, especially in older patients. If the tumor grows, causes symptoms or compresses, surgery or Gamma Knife comes into consideration. The decision is made individually according to the tumor's size, location and behavior on follow-up.

The large majority of cases (about 80-85%) are benign (WHO grade 1) and are not cancer in the classic sense. A smaller proportion behave atypically (grade 2) or malignantly (grade 3). The true grade of the tumor becomes clear only with pathological examination of tissue obtained at surgery.

In some patients, yes. For deep-seated, surgically high-risk or small-to-moderate meningiomas, stereotactic radiosurgery (Gamma Knife, CyberKnife) is an effective option. However, for large, symptomatic or compressing tumors, surgery comes to the fore. Which method is appropriate is determined by MRI and multidisciplinary evaluation.

Yes. You can send your existing MRI or CT images via WhatsApp (+90 533 075 72 94) and receive a preliminary assessment. If appropriate, you will be invited to our clinic in Izmir Konak for an examination, and additional imaging will be planned if needed.

Because glioblastoma infiltrates the surrounding brain microscopically, surgery alone does not provide a 'cure'; for this reason radiotherapy and chemotherapy (the Stupp protocol) follow the operation. The aim of treatment is to control the disease and preserve quality of life. No outcome can be guaranteed, and expectations are shared honestly.

Because glioblastoma grows rapidly, treatment is usually planned quickly. Once the diagnosis is clear, surgery and then the radiotherapy-chemotherapy course are started without delay. How long to wait is determined by the tumor's location, the patient's condition and multidisciplinary evaluation.

The goal is the widest possible safe resection while preserving function. If the tumor is close to critical areas such as speech or movement, the resection may be kept limited to reduce the risk of permanent loss. The microscopic disease that cannot be removed is targeted with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Yes. You can send your existing MRI or CT images via WhatsApp (+90 533 075 72 94) and receive a preliminary assessment. If appropriate, you will be invited to our clinic in Izmir Konak for an examination, and additional imaging and multidisciplinary evaluation will be planned if needed.

Either may be right depending on the situation. For a single, large, symptomatic lesion, surgery comes to the fore; for small-to-moderate or a few lesions, Gamma Knife (stereotactic radiosurgery) is preferred. For more than five widespread metastases, Gamma Knife or whole-brain radiotherapy comes into consideration. The decision is made multidisciplinarily according to the number, size and location of metastases and the primary cancer.

Imaging gives strong clues but is not always certain. Even with a known cancer, a brain mass can sometimes be a separate tumor (for example, a meningioma). For a single lesion, surgical resection both provides treatment and clarifies the tissue diagnosis; for this reason pathology is important for differential diagnosis.

Yes. Even with multiple metastases, there are options including Gamma Knife, whole-brain radiotherapy and systemic treatment targeting the primary cancer (targeted drugs, immunotherapy). Outcomes vary with the type and molecular features of the primary cancer; long-term control is possible in some patients. The plan is built individually with the multidisciplinary team.

Yes. You can send your existing MRI or CT images and, if available, your primary cancer information via WhatsApp (+90 533 075 72 94) and receive a preliminary assessment. If appropriate, you will be invited to our clinic in Izmir Konak for an examination, and additional imaging and multidisciplinary evaluation will be planned if needed.

No. With the 2021 WHO classification, IDH-mutant astrocytoma and IDH-wildtype glioblastoma are considered distinct diseases. IDH-mutant astrocytomas carry a markedly better prognosis. The true type and grade of the tumor become clear with pathological and molecular examination of tissue obtained at surgery or biopsy.

The decision is made according to the tumor's grade, IDH status, location and size. While close surveillance after surgery is possible in some low-grade tumors, the widest safe resection is the first step in most cases. The correct path is determined by tissue diagnosis and multidisciplinary evaluation.

The goal is the widest possible resection while preserving function. If the tumor is close to critical areas such as speech or movement, functional mapping and, when needed, awake craniotomy are used, and the resection margin is set accordingly to reduce the risk of permanent loss. The risks are discussed openly before surgery.

Yes. You can send your existing MRI or CT images and, if available, your pathology-molecular results via WhatsApp (+90 533 075 72 94) and receive a preliminary assessment. If appropriate, you will be invited to our clinic in Izmir Konak for an examination, and additional imaging will be planned if needed.

Tissue is required for a definitive diagnosis: under the 2021 WHO classification, both an IDH mutation and 1p/19q co-deletion must be demonstrated. This tissue is obtained by surgical resection or stereotactic biopsy. In most cases, the widest safe resection provides both treatment and an accurate molecular diagnosis.

Oligodendroglioma has the most favorable prognosis among diffuse gliomas and is sensitive to radiotherapy-chemotherapy, but because it is a diffuse tumor it is not correct to call it 'benign'. Prognosis varies with grade, extent of resection and molecular features; close follow-up is recommended. No outcome can be guaranteed.

It could. Because of its cortical location, oligodendroglioma can run for a long period with epilepsy as the sole symptom. Seeing a cortical-subcortical, often calcified lesion on MRI raises suspicion; the definitive diagnosis is made by tissue and molecular examination. You can send your existing MRI for us to assess.

Yes. You can send your existing MRI or CT images and, if available, your pathology-molecular results via WhatsApp (+90 533 075 72 94) and receive a preliminary assessment. If appropriate, you will be invited to our clinic in Izmir Konak for an examination, and additional imaging will be planned if needed.

No. The great majority of people with epilepsy live seizure-free on medication. Surgery is considered only in selected, drug-resistant patients whose seizures continue despite two appropriate medications and in whom a seizure focus can be identified. Suitability is determined by a multidisciplinary assessment.

In well-selected patients, especially in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, the chance of seizure freedom or a marked reduction is high; however, no outcome can be guaranteed. Some methods, such as neuromodulation, aim at reducing seizure frequency rather than seizure freedom. Expectations are shared openly after assessment.

Medications are not stopped immediately after surgery. A gradual, careful reduction under the neurologist's supervision is considered over a seizure-free period. This decision varies from patient to patient and is never rushed.

Yes. You can send your existing MRI, EEG and any video-EEG reports via WhatsApp (+90 533 075 72 94) for a preliminary assessment. If appropriate, you will be invited to our clinic in Izmir Konak for examination, and further epilepsy-protocol investigation will be planned if needed.

No. The first step of treatment is always medication; drugs such as carbamazepine control the pain in a substantial proportion of patients. Surgery is considered only if pain persists despite an adequate dose of medication or if the patient cannot tolerate the side effects.

Microvascular decompression is an operation that removes the cause by moving the vessel compressing the nerve away; the chance of pain freedom is high and the risk of numbness low, but it is major surgery. Percutaneous procedures (balloon, glycerol, radiofrequency) are needle-based, less invasive and suitable for older patients, but carry a higher probability of facial numbness and recurrence.

In selected patients, especially those with clear vascular compression on MRI, the chance of long-term pain freedom after microvascular decompression is high; however, no method offers a lifelong guarantee, and recurrence is possible with every method. Expectations are shared openly after assessment.

Yes. If you have a trigeminal-protocol MRI you can send it via WhatsApp (+90 533 075 72 94) for a preliminary assessment. If appropriate, you will be invited to our clinic in Izmir Konak for examination, and a thin-slice MRI will be planned if needed.

No. An acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma) is almost always benign, does not spread elsewhere in the body and usually grows slowly. Nevertheless, because as it grows it can press on the hearing, balance and facial nerves, assessment and, where necessary, treatment are important.

No. For small, asymptomatic tumors or those in older patients, follow-up with interval MRI may be appropriate; Gamma Knife is considered for small-to-medium tumors, and microsurgery for large or rapidly growing tumors. The correct option is determined according to tumor size, growth rate, age, hearing and symptoms.

The chance of preserving hearing is closely related to tumor size and pre-operative hearing status; in small tumors this chance is markedly higher. However, no method guarantees that hearing will be preserved. Expectations are shared openly before surgery according to your audiometry and MRI results.

Yes. If you have a contrast-enhanced MRI focused on the internal auditory canal and an audiometry result, you can send them via WhatsApp (+90 533 075 72 94) for a preliminary assessment. If appropriate, you will be invited to our clinic in Izmir Konak for examination, and further investigation will be planned if needed.

No. Prolactinoma is usually treated with medication, and small, asymptomatic adenomas may simply be followed. Surgery comes to the fore especially in adenomas causing vision loss or secreting ones such as in acromegaly/Cushing's. The decision is made multidisciplinarily according to the hormone profile, visual status and MRI findings.

For most pituitary adenomas, no. The standard method today is endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery: the tumor is reached through the nostrils, the skull is not opened and no incision scar remains on the face. Only in selected large or extensive tumors may different routes be needed.

If the vision loss is due to the tumor pressing on the optic nerves and the compression is relieved early, a marked improvement in vision is common; however, the degree of improvement depends on the duration and severity of the compression and cannot be guaranteed. This is why early assessment is important in tumors causing vision loss.

Yes. You can send your pituitary-protocol MRI, hormone blood results and any visual field test via WhatsApp (+90 533 075 72 94) for a preliminary assessment. If appropriate, you will be invited to our clinic in Izmir Konak for examination, and endocrinology and ophthalmology assessment will be planned if needed.

Neither. A cavernoma is a benign vascular structure made up of abnormal, thin-walled vessels; it is not cancer and does not spread elsewhere in the body. It also differs from a brain aneurysm: it is a low-pressure structure, usually bleeds in a more limited way and is not suitable for treatment from within the vessel (endovascular).

No. Incidentally found, asymptomatic cavernomas, or those in deep/risky regions, are generally followed with interval MRI. Surgery is considered for cavernomas located in an accessible region, causing recurrent bleeding or leading to drug-resistant seizures. The decision is made according to the location of the lesion, the history of bleeding and the symptoms.

A cavernoma bleed is mostly small and limited, but in critical regions such as the brainstem even a small bleed can lead to marked symptoms. A cavernoma that has bled once is more likely to bleed again; for this reason the history of bleeding is an important factor in the decision between observation and surgery.

Yes. You can send your existing MRI via WhatsApp (+90 533 075 72 94) for a preliminary assessment, especially if it includes the special sequences that show blood products (gradient echo / SWI). If appropriate, you will be invited to our clinic in Izmir Konak for examination, and further imaging will be planned if needed.