Neurosurgery is the surgical specialty concerned with the diagnosis and management of abnormalities, traumas and diseases affecting the nervous system. It is also a question of evaluating and treating pain and pathological disorders modifying the function or activity of the nervous system.

To better understand, remember that the nervous system refers to all the nervous centers, nerves and ganglia that allow the coordination of vital functions, the musculoskeletal system, psychic and intellectual functions, but also reception, integration and the processing of sensory messages.

Thus, it includes:

• the central nervous system: spinal cord and brain (brain, brainstem, cerebellum);
• the peripheral nervous system: cranial nerves and spinal nerves;
• and the vegetative nervous systems.

Note that there are specialized neurosurgeons:

• vascular neurosurgery;
• pediatric neurosurgery;
• spinal neurosurgery;
• functional neurosurgery;
• or even peripheral neurosurgery.

The neurosurgeon is involved in many conditions. These include:

• head trauma;
• a pituitary gland tumor (pituitary adenoma), a brain tumor or even the cerebellum;
• hydrocephalus;
• a herniated disc ;
• an intracranial aneurysm;
• a cerebral vascular accident ;
• spinal cord compression;
• an intracerebral hematoma;
• la Parkinson’s disease ;
• hyperacusis;
• or a cerebral vascular malformation.

Some people are at greater risk for diseases of the nervous system. Here are some recognized risk factors:

• age, and more particularly beyond 50 years;
• l’hypertension ;
• diabetes ;
• smoking;
• or the consumption of alcohol³.

To ensure the best possible treatment for his patient, the neurosurgeon works in close collaboration with neurologists, radiotherapists, oncologists, anesthesiologists, etc.

The neurosurgeon intervenes at different stages:

• the preoperative assessment, in particular in order to predict the extent of the intervention;
• the operation itself;
• post-operative follow-up.

Any surgery, whatever it is, can present risks during the operation (risks of anesthetics, hemorrhages, infections, etc.) and complications afterwards. The neurosurgeon will clearly outline the dangers, risks, difficulties and modalities of the surgical intervention he will perform.

Training to become a neurosurgeon in France

To become a surgeon, you must have a specialized studies diploma (DES) in neurosurgery:

• the student must first follow, after his baccalaureate, 6 years at the faculty of medicine;
• at the end of the 6th year, students take the national classifying tests to enter the boarding school. Depending on their classification, they will be able to choose their specialty and their place of practice. The internship in neurosurgery, at the end of which the student obtains the DES in neurosurgery, lasts 5 years.

Finally, to be able to practice and carry the title of doctor, the student must also defend a research thesis.

Training to become a neurosurgeon hasu Quebec

After college studies, the student must:

• follow a doctorate in medicine, lasting 1 or 4 years (with or without a preparatory year for medicine for students admitted with a college or university training deemed insufficient in basic biological sciences);
• then specialize by following a residency in neurosurgery, for 6 years (two years of surgical foundations then 4 years of specialization in neurosurgery).

Before seeing a neurosurgeon, it is important to take any recent prescriptions, any x-rays, scans or even MRIs performed.

To find a neurosurgeon:

• in Quebec, you can consult the website of the Quebec Neurosurgery Associationâ ?? ´, which lists the neurosurgery centers in the province;
• in France, via the website of the National Council of the Order of Physiciansâ ?? µ or that of the French Society of Neurosurgery (6).

When the consultation is prescribed by an attending physician, it is covered by the Health Insurance (France) or the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec.