Neurosurgery

Neurosurgery is the surgical treatment of neurological conditions. The surgical procedures are related to the brain, brain stem, spinal cord, plexus and peripheral nerves, as well as the encasements of these structures. They are performed by a specialist surgeon: the neurosurgeon. Neurosurgical interventions are only carried out at the St-Elisabeth site.

The following conditions and diseases are treated by the neurosurgeons:

• Herniated or prolapsed disc: a protrusion of the intervertebral disc in the spinal cord, whereby the gelatinous nucleus, the nucleus pulposus, protrudes to the rear and compresses the nerve structures;
• Obstructions in the cervical vertebrae or lower dorsal vertebrae causing pain or problems with walking;
• Replacement of the intervertebral disc with a rigid or flexible implant;
• Endoscopy: for instance for an adenoma in the pituitary gland, a benign tumour in the pituitary gland leading to excess hormone secretion or pressure on the surrounding nerve structures;
• Hydrocephalus (water on the brain): enlargement of the cavities containing cerebrospinal fluid;
• Syringomyelia or an abnormality where the back of the head joins the spinal cord;
• Skull trauma: any injury to the skullcap (top of the skull that encloses the brain) and to the brain itself;
• Injuries to the spine, including spinal fractures (in conjunction with an orthopaedic surgeon);
• Tumours in and around the brain and the cerebellum;
• Tumours in the spinal cord causing spinal cord compression;
• Abnormalities of the blood vessels around the brain (such as cavernoma, aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation);
• Subarachnoid haemorrhage: a cerebral vascular accident as a result of a massive influx of blood in the meninges, the membranes surrounding the brain, and a cerebral haemorrhage;
• Surgical treatment of facial pain or facial spasms;
• Surgery to the peripheral nerves;
• Craniopharyngioma: an embryonic tissue deformity near the pituitary gland.

08/02/2023