Dr. Michael Brisman is an experienced neurosurgeon, specializing in brain disorders, particularly trigeminal neuralgia, pituitary tumors, acoustic neuromas, and hemifacial spasm HFS.
Trigeminal Neuralgia is a neuropathic disorder found in the trigeminal nerve that causes intense episodes of pain in the head and facial region. Trigeminal Neuralgia is considered one of the most painful conditions an individual can suffer from. About 1 in 15,000 people are known to suffer from Trigeminal Neuralgia, however the actual number may be a lot higher because of frequent misdiagnosis. Trigeminal Neuralgia usually begins to develop in individuals over the age of 40, but there have been some cases where patients begin seeing symptoms as early as age three.
A pituitary tumor, or pituitary adenoma, is an abnormal growth of cells found within the pituitary gland. Pituitary tumors are often divided into three categories: benign, invasive, and carcinomas. Most pituitary tumors are benign which means they are non-cancerous and do not spread to other parts of the body. They can, however, cause the pituitary gland to produce either too many hormones or too few hormones, which can present problems in the body.
Acoustic neuromas are benign tumors that develop on the nerve connecting the ear to the brain. These tumors tend to grow slowly. You may not develop symptoms right away, however symptoms include loss of hearing in one ear, ringing in the ears, as well as dizziness and balance problems. Acoustic neuromas can eventually lead to numbness or paralysis of the face. If the tumor grows large enough, it may press against the brain and become life-threatening. Acoustic neuromas are mostly diagnosed in individuals between the ages of 30 and 60.
Hemifacial is a rare neuromuscular disease involving irregular, involuntary muscle spasms and contractions on one side of the face, normally the left side. About 1 in 20,000 people suffer from Hemifacial Spasms. HFS most often appears in individuals around the age of 40, predominantly in males. In rare cases, individuals with Hemifacial Spasm may also suffer from Trigeminal Neuralgia.