Neurosurgery

Clinical service overview

The service treats around 2,100 inpatients annually with around 50% being elective and 50% emergency. Trauma accounts for approximately 35% of the caseload. We have a very busy outpatient clinic, seeing 4,000 outpatients per year.

The service has developed subspecialty interests in:

• Cerebrovascular surgery
• Spine surgery
• Skull base surgery
• Pituitary surgery
• Neurotrauma

The service also provides a clinical neuropsychology inpatient and outpatient service to assess and treat patients with brain injury or neuro-cognitive deficits following brain injury or illness. The service can provide opinion regarding:

• Differential diagnoses
• Evaluation of pre- and post-surgical changes
• Treatment and management recommendations
• Rehabilitation strategies
• Behavioural intervention
• Family or carer counselling and education
• A monitoring process of patient changes in functioning over time
• Assessments for legal Guardianship and Administration Tribunal hearings.

We are committed to providing excellence in neurosurgical care through quality management, education and training of health care professionals in clinical and laboratory research. The department accommodates a number of neurosurgical training positions, including four Registrars, four Residents and international neurosurgical trainees and fellows.

We also have an ongoing commitment to enhancing our links with other Alfred departments, general practitioners and outside institutions.

Neurosurgery Support Group (NSG)

In collaboration with the neurosurgical team, NSG comprises of voluntary ex-patients and carers, providing professional support to new patients to assist them in their recovery process.

The NSG can provide pre-surgery information, hospital visits pre- or post-surgery, public education leading to early diagnosis of neurosurgical conditions, financial support for and organisation of group meetings, fundraising for state-of-the art equipment for the care of neurosurgery patients, and promotion of awareness of neurosurgical care via the media, video distribution and talks to appropriate organisations.

The NSG can be contacted on Tel: (03) 9076 3380 and Fax: (03) 9076 6067

Exclusion criteria

• Patients who are being treated for same condition at another Victorian public hospital
• Patients experiencing degenerative spine pain only, and no presence of limb pain or neurological deficit (unless significant instability on imaging, ie severe malalignment or dynamic instability (movement on flexion/extension imaging) that potentially carries a risk of spinal cord or cauda equina compression)
• Patients with degenerative spine conditions where appropriate conservative strategies have not been optimised (in the absence of motor deficits)
• Patient with scoliosis (refer to Orthopaedic Clinic)
• Patients under 18 years, unless previously treated at Alfred Health
• Patients not wanting to consider surgery

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