Introduction to Neurosurgery and Its Costs

As of today, Neurosurgery is in a stage of rapid development and discovery. It is an exciting field of constant technological and methodical advances that make possible to correct problems that, a scant few decades ago, would have been considered untreatable. Operations might be used to alleviate preexisting neurological disorders—corpus callosotomies, for example, involve cutting the corpus callosum to reduce the severity of fits in an epileptic patient. Other procedures are used to remove dangerous growths; such is the goal of cerebral aneurysm repairs and craniotomies. More drastic operations include anterior temporal lobectomies, which excise the entire anterior portion of the temporal lobe in order to address extremely severe cases of epilepsy or other disorders that respond poorly to medication.

 

 

 

Because of neurosurgery’s relative rapid development, the costs of procedures in this field are even more changeable than most other surgical areas. New innovations in both procedures and tools have a huge influence on the fees incurred—sometimes charging the patient more for cutting-edge machines, sometimes slashing costs when a simpler, more effective solution is found. Thus, a stable average price for neurosurgery is almost impossible to pin down—what may matter more for the interested patient is the comparative price of procedures. Factors that may influence the fees charged include:

 

 

 

Whether or not insurance is guaranteed for your neurosurgical operation depends on both the operation and your personal health history. If the combination of these two conditions is favorable, then financial assistance is highly likely.

 

Craniotomies designed to repair cerebral aneurysms, for example, are a very common form of treatment. By closing off the base of the aneurysm with a surgical clip, this operation has been shown to produce high rates of success with relatively low rates of recurrence. Such procedures have a long, stable history of effectively eliminating dangerous aneurysm growth, and insurance providers will recognize this fact. 

 

Corpus callosotomies, anterior temporal lobectomies, and other more drastic types of neurosurgery come with a different background, however. Operations that involve removal of portions of the brain have been shown to successfully treat epilepsy, but not for all patients or all types. In addition, because of the wealth of non-surgical options available for epileptic patients, you will have to make a stronger case for neurosurgery. Have your surgeon write a Letter of Medical Necessity if your insurance company requires further convincing.