Department of Neurosurgery

Department of Neurosurgery are the largest neurosurgical department I Northern Europe with a selective focus on brain surgery. We cover all subspecialties of brain surgery on a high international competency level supported by a stringent clinical subspecialization and research foundation.

About us

The Department of Neurosurgery is covering all aspects of brainsurgery and peripheral nerve surgery. We are the most highly specialised neurosurgical unit in Denmark.

The department treats patients with all kinds of neurosurgical diseases. We primarily receive patients from the 2,5 million inhabitants in eastern Denmark, but for some highly specialised neurosurgical services, we receive patients from all of Denmark.

Our approach:

We aim to provide the best neurosurgical service possible, based on a scientific approach, as well as an understanding and respect for the needs of our patients and their relatives.

We believe that networking is essential for providing the continuous development of our practice. For us networking covers many aspects ranging from networking with the other medical disciplines necessary for the treatment of the neurosurgical patients, but also networking with other departments nationally and internationally both in clinical and research settings.

Management

Torstein Ragnar Meling
Head of Department of Neurosurgery

E-mail: torstein.ragnar.meling@regionh.dk
Secretary telephone: 35 45 23 90

Janne Jakobsgaard
Head Nurse

Email: janne.jakobsgaard@rh.regionh.dk
Tel: +45 35 45 23 89

Conditions and treatments

The services offered by the Department of Neurosurgery at Rigshospitalet cover all types of brainsurgery and peripheral nerve surgery. We provide highly specialised neurosurgical services to all of Denmark.

The main neurosurgical services

The Department og Neurosurgery is organised in specialist teams covering a variety of neurosurgical services.

Functional neurosurgery

Cooperating closely with the neurological departments, the department offers the following services:

Epilepsy surgery (the only centre in Denmark)
Deep Brain stimulation for movement disorders (one of two centres in Denmark)
Implantation and baclofen pumps for spasticity
Implantation of spinal cord stimulators for pain

Hydrocephalus

This service covers diagnostic work-up and surgical treatment of patients with hydrocephalus (disturbance of the fluid circulation in and around the brain).

Neurotraumatology and neurointensive care

This service has been integrated with the Level 1 Trauma Centre at Rigshospitalet, the Department of Neuroanaesthesiology, and the Department of Neurology.

Pediatric neurosurgery

Pediatric neurosurgery is undertaken by a team of neurosurgical specialists in collaboration with the Department of Pediatrics at Rigshospitalet. All types of pediatric neurosurgical conditions are treated. For some conditions, the department receives patients from all of Denmark.

Peripheral nerve surgery

This service covers surgery in relation to peripheral nerves, for example nerve compression syndromes, such as carpel tunnel syndrome, and peripheral nerve tumours.

Pituitary surgery

This service works closely with the Department of Endocrinology, covering treatment of all pituitary lesions.

Skull base surgery

This service covers complex lesions in the central areas of the skull base, primarily tumours and vascular lesions. For a number of conditions, such as vestibula schwannomas and craniophyngeomas, the department provides a national service.

Surgical neurooncology

This service is based on close collaboration within a number of other important disciplines such as neuroradiology, oncology, neuropathology, neurology, neurophysiology and neuropsychology.

This collaboration offers a complete neuroonchology service covering diagnostic work-up, surgical treatment, neurological support, radiation, and chemotherapy.

The neurosurgical service covers, for example, neuronavigation-assisted open surgery, stereotactic biopsies, endoscopic procedures, stereotactic radiosurgery, mapping and awake craionotomies.

Trigeminal Neuralgai & hemifacial spasms

This service cover both microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia and hemfacial spasms, as well as, percutaneous treatments of trigeminal neuralgia.

Vascular neurosurgery

This service works in close team collaboration with the Department of Neuroradiology, covering all areas of vascular neurosurgery. The most common diagnoses are cerebral hemorrhages, cerebral aneurysms and arterio-venous malformations (AVM)

Research

Personalized Neurosurgery Research Center
Personalized neurosurgery fathoms the range from basal neuroscience to individual patient experiences. We bring together neuroscience from the center for translational neuroscience, and clinical neurosurgery in a new infrastructure