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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Jordyn Landowski’s Patient Story

By:
  • AANS Neurosurgical Members
Last updated: July 15, 2024
Neurosurgeon: Bruce A. Kaufman, MD, FAANS, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wis. Patient: Jordyn Landowski, age 5, Spina Bifida, Hydrocephalus, Chiari Type 2 Malformation Jordyn Landowski was diagnosed with spina bifida at […]
Patient Content

Linnea Winters’ Patient Story

By:
  • AANS Neurosurgical Members
Last updated: July 15, 2024
Neurosurgeon: Monica C. Wehby, MD, FAANS, Emanuel Children’s Hospital, Portland, Ore. Patient: Linnea Winters, age 9, Spina Bifida Linnea Winters is a very bright, outgoing third grader, with interests that might seem […]
Patient Content

Lisa Klok’s Patient Story

By:
  • AANS Neurosurgical Members
Last updated: July 3, 2024
Neurosurgeon: Gail L. Rosseau, MD, FAANS, Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch, Chicago Patient: Lisa Klok, age 25, Chiari Malformation Lisa Klok has a condition called Chiari malformation. Since the age of […]
Patient Content

Low Back Pain

By:
  • Omar Zalatimo, MD, MPH, MHA, FAANSDirector, Functional Neurosurgery LifeBridge Health Baltimore
Last updated: July 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

Luke Masse’s Patient Story

By:
  • AANS Neurosurgical Members
Last updated: July 15, 2024
Neurosurgeon: Gary Magram MD, FAANS(L), and Meredith V. Woodward, MD, Children’s Hospital Central California, Madera, Calif. Patient: Luke Masse, age 2, Subdural Hematoma On May 3, 2009, 9-month-old Luke Masse suffered what […]
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.