Neurosurgery, or brain and nerve surgery, is the specialty that treats diseases of the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system (the nerves that run from them to the rest of the body) when surgery is needed. Because the field is so broad, many neurosurgeons focus on particular areas.
Conditions neurosurgeons treat
Brain
- brain tumours, including pituitary tumours
- bleeding in the brain
- vascular conditions such as aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and cavernomas, and diseases of the neck vessels
- hydrocephalus
- facial pain and spasm conditions, such as trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm
- Chiari malformation
- movement disorders and some forms of severe epilepsy
- brain tumours and congenital conditions in babies and children, and skull shaping (craniofacial) surgery
Spine and spinal cord
- herniated discs in the lower back and neck
- spinal instability and slipped vertebrae, sometimes treated with spinal fusion
- spinal injuries and spinal tumours
- persistent pain after earlier back or neck surgery
- congenital spinal conditions and spinal tumours in children
- spinal cord stimulation for some types of chronic pain
Peripheral nerves
- nerve entrapment, such as carpal tunnel syndrome
- nerve injuries and nerve tumours
- thoracic outlet syndrome
Subspecialties
Paediatric neurosurgery, neuro-oncology (tumours), vascular neurosurgery, functional neurosurgery, spinal surgery, peripheral nerve surgery and skull base surgery.
Diagnostic tests
The tests used depend on the condition and where it is located. They may include:
- MRI and CT scans
- X-rays
- angiography, to image the blood vessels
- EEG (brain activity) and EMG (nerve and muscle activity)
- Doppler ultrasound
- evoked potential tests (BAER, MEP, SEP, VEP), which measure how signals travel along nerve pathways
- lumbar puncture, myelography or discography in selected cases
- biopsy
Surgical methods
Which method is used depends on the disease, its location and the surgeon's judgement. Methods include:
- open surgery
- microsurgery, using an operating microscope
- endoscopic surgery
- stereotactic surgery, guided by precise 3D coordinates
- stereotactic radiosurgery, which uses focused radiation beams without an incision and is used for some tumours and vascular conditions
- percutaneous minimally invasive procedures
- functional procedures, for example for movement disorders
How MedAssist helps
MedAssist sends your scans and reports to a neurosurgeon at a partner hospital for review, arranges consultations and organises your travel and stay. The neurosurgeon decides whether surgery is needed and which method suits you.