Neurosurgery is the department that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of surgical diseases of the brain, spinal cord and its extensions, which are the organs with the most complex anatomy in the body, and the peripheral nerves that are distributed throughout the body and go to other organs. Diseases of the skull and spine and their surgical treatment are also among the main topics of neurosurgery.
Brain diseases that require surgical treatment include skull fractures, skull bone tumors, brain hemorrhages, brain tumors, cerebrovascular diseases, fluid accumulation in the brain (hydrocephalus), congenital defects of the brain and skull, brain infections, movement disorders such as Parkinson’s, dystonia, essential tremor and epilepsy. Some of these conditions are treated medically, while others may require surgical treatment. Some diseases should only be treated surgically.
Spinal cord and spine surgery includes spinal cord tumors, cysts in the spinal canal (such as arachnoid cysts), tumors of the spinal cord membranes, spinal cord infections, syringomyelia, hydromyelia and spinal cord stimulation surgery. Spinal diseases requiring surgical treatment include cervical and lumbar herniated discs, stenosis of various parts of the spinal canal, spinal fractures, deformities and curvatures of the spine such as scoliosis and kyphosis, spinal infections (such as tuberculosis, pott’s disease), spinal tumors, tumors of the sacrum and congenital defects of the spine.
Peripheral nerve diseases include the surgical treatment of tumors and compression of nerves distributed throughout the body, such as those around the wrist, elbow and knee.
To diagnose these diseases, neurosurgeons first examine the patient in detail. X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), angiography, electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG) and other diagnostic methods may be required. Neurosurgery can sometimes work as a team with branches such as algology, neurology, physical therapy, rheumatology, pathology and oncology.
Surgeries, which are the specialty of neurosurgery, are very important and critical operations due to the delicacy of the central nervous system tissue in the brain and spinal cord. For this reason, neurosurgeons receive a very challenging and long training to reduce the risk. In addition, they use advanced technological tools in their operations. They adjust their lives according to the cycle of these surgeries. In addition, neurosurgery residency is not only the longest residency, but also the specialty training is very demanding both physically and academically.
