Neurosurgery (Neurological Surgery)

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This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician with any questions you have regarding a medical condition. Your provider will offer referrals or treatment plans based on your specific condition or diagnosis.

What is neurosurgery?

Neurosurgery is a type of medical care that deals with problems in the central and peripheral nervous systems. This includes the brain, spine, and nerves.

A doctor who focuses their work in this is called a neurosurgeon or neurological surgeon. Neurosurgeons can help treat many kinds of issues, including pain. They can treat issues through surgery and in other ways. They can treat things like:

  • Problems with blood vessels in the brain and spinal cord

  • Issues with the pituitary gland, such as prolactinomas

  • Tumors in the brain, like gliomas, meningiomas, and others

  • Problems with or infection in the spinal cord and spine

  • Issues with nerves, like carpal tunnel or trapped ulnar nerve

  • Problems with the autonomic nervous system, which controls things like sweating

  • Movement disorders, like Parkinson's disease

  • Pain disorders, like trigeminal neuralgia

  • Injuries to the brain or spine, both recent and older ones

  • Some types of epilepsy

  • Problems with the fluid around the brain and spine

  • Conditions after an injury, like postconcussion syndrome

  • Disorders that affect how you function, like Tourette syndrome and depression

  • Inherited diseases that affect the nervous system

  • Problems in children and teens, like issues with the skull, spine, or blood vessels

  • Serious issues in the ICU, like brain swelling and coma