Dr Stevens Kgomotso Hlahla

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Services includes :

• Chronic Back Pain
  Back pain is a typical result of age or degenerative disc disease. The fluid between spinal vertebrae decreases with age, and the discs become irritated easily. The loss of muscle due to age increases the risk of back pain or injury. Other causes of back pain could be spinal cord cancer, herniated discs, sciatica, and spinal stenosis. Dr Hlahla may opt for non-surgical methods such as epidural steroid injections and facets joint infiltration or recommend surgical interventions to treat chronic back pain, including lower back pain. Surgical interventions include rhizotomy, laminectomy, foraminotomy, microdiscectomy, Anterior Cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), or Posterior Decompression and fusion.
• Traumatic Spinal Fractures/ Injuries
  Spinal trauma occurs as a result of motor vehicle accidents, falls, or contact sports. Back and forth motions of the body can cause spinal discs to protrude and strains the neck muscles. Spinal instability develops when the vertebrae rub against each other and damage the spinal cord and nerves resulting in the spinal disc degenerating and bulging. Signs of a spinal fracture include back pain, neck pain, numbness, muscle weakness and spasms, and paralysis. If the spinal fracture is severe, Dr Hlahla will perform a fusion. Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty are less invasive procedures that resolve spinal fractures caused by osteoporosis and spinal tumours.
• Osteoporotic Fractures
  The inside of a healthy bone consists of small spaces similar to a honeycomb. When osteoporosis occurs, the small spaces increase in size, and the bone loses density and durability. The exterior part of the bone wears thin and becomes weaker. Spinal, hip, osteoporotic, and wrist fractures are more likely with osteoporosis. Osteoporosis signs reduce or weak gums, poor grip, brittle nails, and neck or back pain. If symptoms do not resolve naturally, Dr Hlahla may recommend surgery.
• Spinal Stenosis
  Spinal stenosis occurs when the spinal canal constricts and compresses the spinal cord. The progression of the condition may be slow, but complications may arise when spinal nerves become compressed. Spinal stenosis is related to chronic back and neck pain. Causes for spinal stenosis are bone growths, herniated discs, spinal cord tumours and spinal injuries. Symptoms include balance issues, weakness in legs or arms, urinary or faecal incontinence, numbness in hand, foot or leg, and muscle weakness. Dr Hlahla will treat spinal stenosis according to the severity of the condition, and treatment may involve surgery.
• Spinal Tumour Resection
  Spinal disc degeneration, disc herniation and radiculopathy are a few spinal conditions. Spinal pain may be caused by spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, and spinal tumours or chordomas. A chordoma is a cancerous bone tumour that could occur in the skull or spine. They grow slowly over time and tend to form at the base of the spine or coccyx. Signs of a chordoma are bladder or bowel problems, pain, nerve weakness, and running nose or bleeding from the nose. Dr Hlahla will perform a tumour resection to eradicate the spinal tumour. Most spinal tumours are not malignant and do not spread, and small spinal tumours that are symptomless may not require resection.
• Skull and Brain Tumours
  Brain tumours are a collection of normal cells situated in the brain. Medical complications arise when a tumour develops in the skull regardless of whether the tumour is non-cancerous or malignant due to pressure creation. Brain damage often is the result of this increased pressure. Brain tumours are either primary or secondary tumours. Primary tumours that first develop in the brain are primarily benign, but secondary brain tumours are caused by metastasised cancer that originates from another organ in the body. Examples of primary tumours are meningiomas, pituitary tumours, gliomas, glioblastomas, pineal gland tumours, ependymomas, craniopharyngiomas, and Schwannomas. Skull base tumours are rare but include chondroma, chordomas, esthesioneuroblastomas and hemangiopericytoma. Migraines, seizures or convulsions, and vision deterioration are signs of brain tumours. Dr Hlahla performs the following surgeries to treat skull and brain tumours: craniotomy, minimally invasive tumour resection, neuro-navigation guided surgery (tumour biopsy and resection), and microsurgical procedure.
• Hydrocephalus
  Hydrocephalus arises from the build-up of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain's channels or ventricles. Excessive CSF enlarges the ventricles and raises intracranial pressure. Although CSF is clear and delivers nutrients, and filters out waste in the brain and spinal cord, in excess, it impairs neurological function and damages brain tissue. Hydrocephalus symptoms include headaches, fatigue, balance and coordination problems, vision issues, and cognitive decline. Dr Hlahla uses a shunt or external ventricular drain to resolve hydrocephalus.
• Skull Base Surgery
  Skull base surgery is a procedure used to remove tumours or growths situated at the brain's stem. Endoscopic skull base surgery is performed through the nasal cavity. Dr Hlahla performs skull base surgery to remove craniopharyngiomas, pituitary gland and sinonasal tumours. An acoustic neuroma is a rare benign tumour that arises from Schwann cells' rapid growth and can grow and affect brain structures. A posterior fossa tumour is a brain tumour that forms at the base of the skull. As soon as the tumour grows in the posterior fossa, it blocks spinal fluid, raises the spinal cord, and increases intracranial pressure. Dr Hlahla will remove these tumours will skull base surgery.
• Cranioplasty and Reconstructive Surgery Post Craniotomy
  Head trauma may result in skull defects, and surgery is necessary to repair congenital disabilities or remove tumours. A patient requires cranial reconstruction or a cranioplasty once a portion of his or her skull is removed. The procedure should improve the appearance of the skull and protect internal structures. Dr Hlahla performs a cranioplasty and inserts an implant of graft material in the defect to restore the skull's shape.
• Posterior Fossa Decompression Surgery
  Chiari malformation occurs when brain tissue moves into the spinal canal. This condition develops when the misshapen skull presses down on the brain and pushes the brain tissue into the spinal canal. There are two types of Chiari malformation. Chiari malformation I appears in late adulthood, and Chiari malformation II forms when a large amount of brain tissue travels into the spinal canal. Dr Hlahla performs posterior fossa decompression surgery to resolve the spinal cord and cerebellum pressure and stimulate the regular cerebrospinal fluid flow.
• Endoscopic Procedures
  Dr Hlahla performs a range of minimally invasive endoscopic procedures to treat hydrocephalus, brain tumours, lesions, and hematomas. He specialises in endoscopic third ventriculostomy and pituitary surgery. He repairs CSF leaks and removes pituitary tumours through endoscopic surgery.
• Paediatric Surgeries
  Dr Hlahla specialises in paediatric brain surgery, is an expert in tumour resection, and safely dissects tumours located in a child's brain. He resolves encephalocele, craniosynostosis, and an advanced form of spina bifida called myelomeningocele. A minimally invasive endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is performed to treat hydrocephalus caused by CSF build-up in the brain's ventricles or channels. Types of brain tumours in children are medulloblastoma, diffuse midline gliomas (DIPGs), ependymoma and craniopharyngioma.
• Peripheral Nerve Surgeries
  Dr Hlahla relieves pain from nerve-related injuries. He performs a specialised endoscopic procedure known as carpal tunnel release to relieve pressure on the median nerve. Dr Hlahla may choose to perform a microdiscectomy or laminectomy to treat sciatica. Carpal tunnel syndrome forms when the median nerve becomes constricted as it travels through the hand and may result from repetitive wrist movements or injury. Sciatica is an irritation to the sciatic nerve, a nerve that stretches from the back to the legs and ends just beneath the knees.
• Trauma
  Neurotrauma occurs due to a sudden spinal or head injury that arises from falls or motor vehicle accidents. Dr Hlahla performs emergency surgical procedures to resolve concussions, skull or spinal fractures and spinal cord injuries. The different types of skull fractures are closed fracture, linear fracture, open fracture, depressed fracture, and basal skull fracture. High intracranial pressure occurs when the pressure in the brain increases. Elevated levels of CFS and blood due to a ruptured tumour or hematoma causes intracranial pressure.
• Medico-Legal Services
  Dr Hlahla provides expert medico-legal advice and assessments related to brain and spinal injuries that result from trauma. He offers a broad range of medico-legal services that include motor vehicle accidents or work injuries, witness opinions and medico-legal reports. Dr Hlahla also provides a neurological perspective to assist with Road Accident Fund claims.