Conditions & Treatments

Developed by neurosurgeons, this resource provides patients and their families trustworthy information on a wide range of neurosurgical conditions and diseases. Learn about disease and injury risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis and both surgical and nonsurgical treatment options.

Select the treatment or condition you are interested in for more detailed information.

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Patient Content

Cervical Spine

By:
  • Shashank V. Gandhi, MD
  • Michael Schulder, MD, FAANSDepartment of Neurosurgery Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Manhasset, N.Y.
Last updated: June 20, 2024
The neck is part of a long flexible column, known as the spinal column or backbone, which extends through most of the body.
Patient Content

Chiari Malformation

By:
  • AANS
Last updated: April 29, 2024
Chiari malformation is considered a congenital condition, although acquired forms of the condition have been diagnosed.
Patient Content

Christine Coles’ Patient Story

By:
  • AANS
Last updated: April 30, 2024
After noticing early symptoms of Parkinson's disease, Christine had surgery to implant a deep brain stimulation (DBS) device. Learn how it changed her life.
Patient Content

Claire Snyman’s Patient Story

By:
  • Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, MD, FAANS
  • Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore
Last updated: June 26, 2024
Patient: Claire Snyman, 36, Colloid Cyst In 2009, Claire Snyman began to notice she was having difficulty with her short-term memory. Things that she normally had no problem remembering became harder […]
Patient Content

Classification of Brain Tumors

By:
  • AANS Neurosurgical Members
Last updated: August 8, 2024
This information has been provided by the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors A listing of most of the tumors that occur in the brain or its surrounding structures is presented here. […]
Patient Content

Concussion

By:
  • Nitin Agarwal, MD
  • Rut Thakkar
  • Khoi Than, MD, FAANS
Last updated: April 29, 2024
A concussion can affect memory, judgment, reflexes, speech, balance and muscle coordination.
Patient Content

Coping with a Traumatic Brain Injury – One Mother’s Story

By:
  • AANS
Last updated: March 27, 2024
Every parent’s nightmare is an injured child. Receiving a phone call telling you that your child has been in an accident resulting in a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is inconceivable, […]
Patient Content

COVID-19 and Neurosurgery

By:
  • Samer Zammar, MD
  • Scott Simon, MD, FAANS
Last updated: July 3, 2024
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially classified the novel coronavirus as a pandemic, which means it is now a disease that is prevalent across the entire globe.
Patient Content

Craniopharyngiomas

By:
  • Anand V. Germanwala, MD, FAANSDepartment of Neurological Surgery Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Last updated: April 29, 2024
Craniopharyngiomas are histological benign, but locally aggressive, tumors that develop near the pituitary gland at the base of the brain.
Patient Content

Craniosynostosis and Craniofacial Disorders

By:
  • AANS
Last updated: April 29, 2024
Craniosynostosis is a congenital deformity of the infant skull that occurs when the fibrous joints between the bones of the skull (called cranial sutures) close prematurely.