Can neurosurgery cure your condition?

Some neurosurgical conditions are genuinely cured by an operation. A complete removal of a benign meningioma, a successful clipping of an unruptured aneurysm, a microdiscectomy that resolves sciatica — these end the problem.

Others are controlled but not cured. A shunt for hydrocephalus manages the pressure indefinitely but the underlying condition remains. A lumbar decompression relieves the leg pain but the aging spine still ages.

For malignant tumours, surgery is one part of a longer treatment plan. Even a complete-looking removal often needs radiation and chemotherapy afterwards. The word "cure" applies to some and not to others, depending on tumour type and biology.

I will tell you plainly which category your condition falls into before you consent. Setting the right expectation is one of the most important things I do — because a successful operation that did not deliver what you were hoping for feels like a failure, and it should not.