What is the Treatment for a Frontal Lobe Brain Lesion?

There are several different treatments for a frontal lobe brain lesion, and the type of treatment a doctor pursues depends on the cause of the lesion. Surgical treatments are sometimes available and generally have a good chance of success. When surgery is not an option, psychiatric care and evaluation are necessary because no medications work well as treatment.

Often, a frontal lobe brain lesion is small enough that it does not cause any problems for the patient. The first course of treatment, when a lesion is discovered, is often to wait and see whether it causes any problems. Regular scans of the area can indicate if the lesion is growing, and psychiatric evaluation can determine if it is causing any behavioral abnormalities. If no problems are apparent, a healthcare professional may chose to leave the lesion alone indefinitely.

One of the most common types of frontal lobe brain lesion is a legion caused by a benign tumor. A tumor in the frontal lobe is rarely life threatening, though the tumor can cause problems with the patient’s impulse control and may increase anti-social behaviors. When possible, the treatment is to surgically remove the tumor. When it's removed, the patient is likely to return to normal, and there is little chance of the tumor recurring.

Occasionally, a tumor in the frontal lobe is malignant. The treatment for this type of frontal lobe grain lesion includes surgical removal of the mass followed by treatment to stop the progression of the cancer. Radiation and chemotherapy are commonly used to treat the cancer.

An injury to the frontal lobe, whether from trauma or from a ruptured blood vessel in the brain, can cause irreparable damage to the brain. The treatment for this type of brain lesion often includes psychiatric care and counseling, both for the patient and for the patient’s family members. Understanding the personality and behavior changes associated with the damage can help a patient and his or her family adjust to living with this condition.

Though there are medications that can be used to treat lesions in other parts of the brain, they are generally not effective on those in the frontal lobe. In the case of an infection in the frontal lobe, antibiotics may be prescribed. This will treat the disease affecting the brain but will not help relieve the symptoms of the frontal lobe brain lesion or repair the damage once the disease has been treated.