The Neurosurgery Department is where diseases in the central and peripheral nervous systems, including the brain and spinal cord, are diagnosed and treated surgically. The nervous system is a very important organ that regulates the functions of the human body. As even minor damage to this system can cause fatal sequelae and permanent dysfunction due to its complex structure, various clinical experience, a high level of knowledge, and delicate skills are required for the accurate diagnosis and treatment of such diseases. Our department is divided into divisions in accordance with the type of disease and treatment method such as brain tumor, cerebrovascular diseases, spine, trauma, and stereotactic function to provide more precise medical care for neurological diseases.
The Neurosurgery Department at Seoul National University Hospital has been playing a leading role in the education, research, and medical care of neurosurgery-related diseases in Korea since it was officially opened on January 7, 1957. Currently, 18 faculty members are responsible for professional medical care in their fields of expertise. Also, many medical professionals including 15 specialists and 10 clinical fellows are doing their best to provide the best medical care. As a result, we perform about 3,874 surgeries per year to realize better health for our patients.
Apart from the clinic in each field, our department has special treatment centers such as the Gamma Knife Center, Epilepsy intensive Center, and Movement Disorder Center are in operation and strives to provide comprehensive treatments by closely working with the Neurology Department under the “Cerebral Nerve Center.”
In addition to our clinical services, we have independent basic laboratories for brain tumors, cerebrovascular diseases, spine, and stereotactic functions to investigate the pathophysiology of diseases and develop better treatment methods as a research-centered hospital. We publish more than 100 papers per year in international academic journals, playing a role also in clinical research.
Major Diseases and Research Fields
▷ Brain Tumor Clinic: glioma, meningioma, pituitary adenoma, auditory schwannoma, metastatic brain tumor, central nervous system lymphoma, craniopharyngioma, chondroma, and other brain tumors
▷ Epilepsy Brain Tumor Clinic: brain tumors that cause epilepsy, seizures, especially glioma, glioblastoma, astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, meningioma, cavernous hemangioma, cerebral artery malformation, and other refractory epilepsy
▷ Cerebrovascular Clinic: cerebral aneurysm, moyamoya disease, cerebral arteriovenous malformation, cavernous hemangioma, cerebral infarction, carotid stenosis, hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage
▷ Spine Clinic : disc disease, spinal canal stenosis, anterior dislocation, posterior ligament ossification, spinal deformity, spinal vascular disease, spinal (spinal cord) tumor, spinal metastases
▷ Stereotactic Function Clinic: motor abnormalities that do not respond to medication such as Parkinson’s disease, essential tremors, dyskinesia, etc., obsessive-compulsive disorders that do not respond to medication, spasmus facialis, pain (trigeminal neuralgia, post-stroke pain, complex site pain syndrome, low back pain syndrome after spinal surgery), radiation surgery
▷ Gamma Knife Center: brain tumors (benign tumors such as meningioma, schwannoma, metastatic brain tumor), arteriovenous malformation, cavernous hemangioma, trigeminal neuralgia, etc.
▷ Movement Disorder Center: Parkinson’s disease and similar diseases, essential tremors (treatosis), dystonia, hemilateral facial cramps, Tourette syndrome with motor tics, etc. - www.snumdc.org