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

Jody Bunzol’s Patient Story

By:
  • AANS
Last updated: April 26, 2024
At the age of 27, Jody Bunzol was diagnosed with a medical condition called Moyamoya disease.
Patient Content

Low Back Pain

By:
  • Omar Zalatimo, MD, MPH, MHA, FAANSDirector, Functional Neurosurgery LifeBridge Health Baltimore
Last updated: May 9, 2024
Low back pain is not unique. An estimated 75-85% of Americans experience some form of back pain during their life.
Patient Content

Low Back Strain and Sprain

By:
  • Julie G. Pilitsis MD, PhD, FAANSis a professor of neurosurgery and of neuroscience at Albany Medical College and Chair for the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics. To date, Dr. Pilitsis has served as chair of the AANS/CNS Section on Pain as well as chair of the AANS/CNS Section for Women in Neurosurgery. Dr. Pilitsis maintains an NIH sponsored research program focused on device optimization for neuromodulation and has published over 120 journal articles, 4 books and numerous chapters. She serves as section editor of functional neurosurgery in Operative Neurosurgery and is on the editorial board of Neuromodulation.
Last updated: April 8, 2024
When the lumbar (lower) spine is strained or sprained, the muscles and tissues become swollen. This inflammation causes pain and may cause muscle spasms.
Patient Content

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

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Last updated: April 8, 2024
The lumbar spine (lower back) consists of five vertebrae in the lower part of the spine, between the ribs and the pelvis. Lumbar spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal, compressing the nerves traveling through the lower back into the legs.
Patient Content

Meningiomas

By:
  • Jeffrey I. Traylor, MD
  • John S. Kuo, MD, PhD, FAANS
Last updated: April 8, 2024
Meningiomas are the most common benign intracranial tumor. They originate from arachnoid cap cells, which are cells within the thin, spider web-like membrane that covers the brain and spinal cord. The arachnoid is one of three protective layers, collectively known as the meninges, which surround the brain and the spinal cord.
Patient Content

Metastatic Brain Tumors

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Last updated: April 8, 2024
Tumors that spread to the brain from a primary neoplasm located in other organs of the body are referred to as metastatic brain tumors. They are among the most common intracranial brain tumors encountered by physicians.
Patient Content

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

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Last updated: April 8, 2024
In general, the goal of minimally invasive spine (MIS) surgery is to stabilize the vertebral bones and spinal joints and/or relieve pressure being applied to the spinal nerves — often a result of conditions such as spinal instability, bone spurs, herniated discs, scoliosis or spinal tumors.
Patient Content

Movement Disorders

By:
  • AANS
Last updated: June 26, 2024
Movement Disorders: Ataxia · Dystonia · Essential Tremor · Huntington's Disease · Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) · Myoclonus · Parkinson's Disease · Progressive
Patient Content

Neck Pain

By:
  • Alex P. Michael, MD
Last updated: April 26, 2024
Neck pain is pain that starts in the neck and can be associated with radiating pain down one or both of the arms. Neck pain can come from a number of disorders or diseases that involve any of the tissues in the neck, nerves, bones, joints, ligaments or muscles.
Patient Content

Neurofibromatosis

By:
  • Anand V. Germanwala,MD, FAANS
Last updated: April 26, 2024
Neurofibromatosis (NF), a type of phakomatosis or syndrome with neurological and cutaneous manifestations, is a rare genetic disorder that typically causes benign tumors of the nerves and growths in other parts of the body, including the skin.