In the last 20 years," says Srinivas Chakravarthi, MD, "neurosciences have advanced dramatically. "Dr. Chak," as his patients call him, also stressed that in the surgical suite, there's no guessing. "You see the problem in the brain or spinal cord with such clarity, and quite often, we are able to use minimally invasive microsurgical techniques to remove spinal tumors without compromising nerves of the spinal cord."

The same is true with brain aneurysms. "Caught early enough, we can clip an aneurysm, prevent a stroke, and if all goes well, the patient will have few, if any lasting functional deficits," he continues.

Bay Regional Medical Center has made a significant investment in constructing and equipping two neurosurgical operating rooms. The BrainLab is a complete system that integrates all surgical and diagnostic features needed to perform complex procedures within the skull and spinal cord.

"We have high-field Magnetic Resonance Imaging and navigation, and ceiling-mounted fiber-optic central control panels, connected to computer terminals," says Dr. Chak. "The entire operating room team sees the procedure, helping the surgeon access the network and in-suite video sources. Along with a Jackson surgical table and C-arm component of the BrainLab, we can surgically perform any procedure from the least compromising and most optimal vantage point. Truly, it's like High Definition Television in the operating suite."

The neuroscience team considers the investment well spent because it's to the patient's advantage. "We can do the opening approach, procedure and close at minimal risk to the patient," adds Dr. Chak, who, along with neurosurgeon Siva Sriharan, M.D., moved to Bay Regional Medical Center from Windsor, Ontario in 2005. "This investment allows us to handle epilepsy and Parkinson's patients, as well as pediatric patients."

"We want our patients to have confidence that we are prepared for whatever it takes to restore them to the best functional status, says Dr. Chak. "We have skilled anesthesiologists, certified nurse anesthetists, and operating and circulating nurses who have trained extensively on this equipment. And when I enter the operating suite, my mind is totally focused on the procedure I'm about to perform. I think any surgeon has to shut everything else out."

Unless it's an emergency, the physicians of Bay Neurosurgery Associates spend about 70% of their time in consultation with the patient and family before deciding on surgery. They present surgical options, benefits, and drawbacks, and thoroughly discuss long-term results and possible complications. "No surgeon can boast that he's never encountered a complication in surgery, particularly in our field," says Dr. Chak. "We're working with delicate, exquisite structures. In the end, the patient and family must make the treatment decision. We respect and honor those decisions."