What conditions do neurosurgeons treat?

The nervous system is a single continuous organ, and neurosurgery covers all of it: the brain, the spinal cord, the spinal column and the peripheral nerves.

On the cranial side, common conditions include brain tumours (both primary and metastatic), aneurysms and vascular malformations, chronic and acute subdural haematomas, hydrocephalus (treated with shunts or endoscopic third ventriculostomy), trigeminal neuralgia, and traumatic brain injury.

On the spinal side, most patients present with nerve compression — a herniated lumbar or cervical disc pressing on a root, or spinal stenosis narrowing the canal in older patients. We also treat spinal tumours, fractures, deformity and instability requiring fusion.

Peripheral nerve work includes carpal tunnel release, ulnar nerve decompression at the elbow, and nerve tumours such as schwannomas.

Not every condition on this list needs surgery. Much of what a neurosurgeon does in consultation is to reassure patients that they do not need an operation and to guide them to the right non-surgical treatment.