Prof. Dr. med. Peter Vajkoczy

Neurosurgery is a discipline that deals with diseases, malformations and injuries of the central and peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system (CNS) encompasses the brain and spinal cord, while the peripheral nervous system (PNS) refers to the nerves outside the cranium and spinal cord.

In the past, operations on the cranium and spine often entailed a high level of risk and long recovery times, but nowadays modern imaging methods and keyhole techniques allow surgery to be performed with minimum impact. For the patients concerned, this means less risk, less pain and a quicker recovery process. Minimally-invasive procedures are already being used in tumour surgery, microsurgery on aneurysms and in spinal surgery.

In the assessment of brain tumours as the basis for further therapy treatment, neuropathology acts as a direct partner of neurosurgery and offers therapy- and prognosis-relevant tissue diagnostics and molecular analyses. Since only the removed tissue is required for this purpose, the examinations can also take place independently of the patient's place of hospitalisation.

Pain therapy is another important branch of neurosurgery, too. Specialists can also use minimally-invasive methods here to reduce pain arising from a slipped disc, spinal stenosis or carpal tunnel syndrome.