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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Spinal Cord Injury

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Last updated: April 15, 2024
According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, as many as 450,000 people in the United States are living with a spinal cord injury (SCI). Other organizations conservatively estimate this figure to be about 250,000.
Patient Content

Spinal Cord Stimulation

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  • Patient Pages are authored by neurosurgical professionals, with the goal of providing useful information to the public.
  • Brian Anderson, MDChief Resident, Neurological Surgery Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine Hershey, Penn.
  • Kevin M. Cockroft, MD, FAANSProfessor, Neurological Surgery, Radiology and Public Health Sciences Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine Hershey, Penn.
Last updated: April 15, 2024
Chronic pain develops when the body’s appropriate response to an injury lasts longer than it should. This pain no longer protects the body from injury but becomes harmful on its own.
Patient Content

Spinal Infections

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  • Shashank V. Gandhi, MD; Michael Schulder, MD, FAANSDepartment of Neurosurgery Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Manhasset, NY
Last updated: April 15, 2024
Spinal infections can be classified by the anatomical location involved: the vertebral column, intervertebral disc space, the spinal canal and adjacent soft tissues. Infection may be caused by bacteria or fungal organisms and can occur after surgery. Most postoperative infections occur between three days and three months after surgery.
Patient Content

Spinal Pain

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  • AANS
Last updated: April 11, 2024
Spinal pain in the lumbar region (lower back) and cervical region (neck) are highly prevalent and are often the causes for many lost work days.
Patient Content

Spinal Tumors

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  • AANS
Last updated: April 11, 2024
A spinal tumor is an abnormal mass of tissue within or surrounding the spinal cord and/or spinal column.
Patient Content

Sports-related Head Injury

By:
  • Nitin Agarwal, MD
  • Rut Thakkar
  • Khoi Than, MD, FAANS
Last updated: June 25, 2024
There are an estimated 1.7 to 3.8 million traumatic brain injuries each year in the United States, according to the CDC, of which 10 percent arise due to sports and recreational activities. Amongst American children and adolescents, sports and recreational activities contribute to over 21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries. Sustaining an injury while […]
Patient Content

Sports-related Neck Injury

By:
  • Nitin Agarwal MD
  • Rut Thakkar
  • Khoi Than, MD
Last updated: March 28, 2024
Playing sports can contribute to neck injuries of varying degrees of severity ranging from relatively minor injuries such as muscle strains to severe life-threatening conditions such as neck fractures and cervical spinal cord injuries. A fractured (broken) neck is a very serious matter, but in many cases, the patient can make a full recovery and regain all neurological functions. A neck fracture can sometimes lead to a complete spinal cord injury, which will result in some degree of paralysis or even death.
Patient Content

Stereotactic Brain Biopsy

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  • AANS
Last updated: April 11, 2024
Stereotactic Brain Biopsy is a common procedure that allows a neurosurgeon to diagnose a brain lesion.
Patient Content

Stereotactic Radiosurgery

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  • AANS
Last updated: April 10, 2024
Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) was conceived by a team of neurosurgeons and physicists in Sweden about 50 years ago to deliver radiation to precise targets in the brain while minimizing injury to adjacent areas.
Patient Content

Tarlov Cyst

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  • AANS
Last updated: April 10, 2024
Tarlov cysts are fluid-filled nerve root cysts found most commonly at the sacral level of the spine