Neurosurgery

When most people hear the word "neurosurgery," they automatically think of brain surgery. However, neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of the entire nervous system, composed of the brain, spinal cord and spinal column, as well as the nerves that travel through all parts of the body (hands, legs, arms, face). Neurosurgeons treat: 

• Trauma and injury to the brain and spinal cord
• Tumors in the brain and spinal cord
• Injuries and diseases of the spine (such as ruptured disks and spinal stenosis)
• Congenital problems of the spine

During their lengthy 5-6 year residency, neurosurgeons learn to delicately operate on the nervous system – the most fragile and unforgiving system in the body. Neurosurgeons are the only surgeons credentialed to remove tumors on the spine and treat intra-cranial and intra-spinal infections.

One of the top teams in New England

There are only a handful of full-service neurosurgery programs in New England, because advanced surgeries of the brain and spine require advanced clinical capabilities throughout the entire hospital. Portsmouth Regional Hospital’s team of highly trained and experienced neurosurgeons, emergency physicians, intensive care specialists, anesthesiologists, ICU nurses and technicians is second to none.

Our team includes four Board Certified neurosurgeons with over 80 years of combined experience and multiple academic appointments:

To offer a full range of neurosurgery services, neurosurgeons require the collaboration of many other specialists, including neurology, intensive care, radiology, cardiology, anesthesiology, infectious disease and endocrinology. Portsmouth Regional Hospital is the only hospital in the Seacoast with 24/7 coverage by a full-time staff of Intensivists (doctors who specialize in the hospital-based care of patients who need intensive care). Learn more about our team, Coastal New Hampshire Neurosurgeons.

Advanced technologies have revolutionized neurosurgery.

The latest imaging technologies allow our neurosurgeons to make earlier diagnoses and operate inside the brain with extraordinary delicacy and precision In the operating room, advanced microsurgical techniques mean smaller incisions, minimal disturbance of neurological function and faster healing.

Portsmouth Regional Hospital has led the way in offering the latest technologies and approaches. We were:

• First in NH with a stereo-tactic image-guided surgery system, which enables the surgeon to operate inside the brain with exacting accuracy. This system uses a high-density MRI or CT scan to provide the surgeon with a video-monitor frame-of-reference for his scalpel's position at all times in relationship to a target lesion.
• First in the Seacoast with CT angiography, which uses x-rays to visualize arterial blood flow 
• The only Seacoast hospital with a dedicated neurosurgical ultrasound technology for life-saving emergency interventions 
• The only Seacoast hospital with BrainLab, the most advanced surgical microscope 
• The only Seacoast hospital with the El Camino, a fiber-optic device for monitoring intra-cranial brain pressure