Welcome

My name is Bob Bradford and I am a Consultant Neurosurgeon at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, North London. 

What does a neurosurgeon do?

A neurosurgeon is a surgeon who specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with a disease of, or injury to, the brain, the spine or the peripheral nerves (in the hands, feet, arms, legs or face).

Some patients are sent to see a neurosurgeon directly by the General Practitioner, more commonly they are referred by other specialists such as neurologists, rheumatologists, orthopaedic or ENT surgeons.  Being referred to a neurosurgeon does not mean you necessarily need an operation.

Neurosurgeons in the UK are trained and experienced in all aspects of the specialty.  Most, however, will have particular areas of expertise and interest on which they may concentrate.  In my case, the branches of neurosurgery in which I specialize are:

	neuro-oncology
	skull base surgery (particularly acoustic neuromas)
	stereotaxis and neuronavigation
	spinal surgery

Leonardo da Vinci's superb drawing of a human skull

"If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn’t"
 

Lyall Watson

"An enchanted loom where millions of flashing shuttles weave a dissolving pattern, always a meaningful pattern though never an abiding one".

Sir Charles Sherrington, describing the brain