These are some of the conditions commonly treated by a Neurosurgeon doctor:
- Brain Aneurysms - Weaknesses on blood vessels that can burst, leading to death or stroke
- Carotid Stenosis - Narrowing of the arteries supplying the brain, possible leading to stroke or a warning 'TIA'
- Vascular Malformations - Which can bleed - some are congenital (born with them), and some develop later in life
- Brain Tumours - Both benign (often curable with surgery) and malignant ( often incurable, but sometimes controllable with surgery)
- Acoustic Neuromas - A kind of tumour at the base of the brain, related to the hearing nerves
- Trigeminal Neuralgia - Terrible 'spasms' of facial pain that are often curable with surgery
- Hemifacial Spasm - Involuntary twitching on one side of the face - often curable with surgery
- Hydrocephalus - A build up of fluid in the brain - sometimes treatable with an endoscope (a surgical camera) or with a shunt (to divert the fluid)
- Head Injury - Blood clots ('haematomas') can develop after a head injury and some need to be removed with surgery
Some of the spinal conditions treated (in both the lower back and neck) include:
- Herniated or 'Slipped' disc - Which presses on a nerve in the spine causing 'sciatica' (or pain in the leg)
- Narrowing of the Spinal Canal - Causing leg or arm weakness or pain
- Compression of the Spinal Cord - Causing arm and leg weakness or difficulty with fine movements
- Tumours in the spine
- Blood vessel abnormalities in the spine
- Back Pain - Sometimes requiring treatment with 'spinal fusion'
Peripheral Nerve problems treated by a neurosurgeon include:
- Carpal tunnel Syndrome - Burning and weakness in the hands, often worse at night
- Ulnar Nerve Compression - Similar to carpal tunnel syndrome, but caused by compression of a nerve at the elbow
- Leg weakness caused by compression of nerves in the leg
- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
- Nerve tumours in various places in the body and extremities
