If you or a loved one needs treatment for even the most complex conditions of the brain, spine and nerves, the neurosurgery team at University of Missouri Health Care has the expertise. We treat everything from illnesses that develop before birth to traumatic brain and spine injuries, cancer, deformities, pain syndromes and much more.

What sets us apart is that we’re able to offer you a broad range of services and personalized neurosurgical care for children and adults in a single, coordinated system.

Conditions that require neurosurgery may need the expertise of doctors in more than one specialty, such as medical or radiation oncologists for a brain tumor or an orthopaedic specialist for a spine condition. At MU Health Care, our specialists work as a team to determine the best treatment for you.

Our neurosurgeons perform both open and minimally invasive procedures, which involve small incisions with specialized instruments. We always use the least invasive procedures possible.

Our specialists use advanced techniques such as:

• Endovascular procedures. These procedures treat problems affecting the blood vessels such as aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs).
• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This special type of MRI allows neurosurgeons to study blood flow in the brain. It can be used to evaluate brain function or guide a surgical procedure.
• Intraoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging. This 3-D imaging technique allows surgeons to see in much greater detail and operate with the highest precision during minimally invasive brain and spine surgery.
• Neuro-navigation. This computer-assisted technology provides real-time guidance for surgeons during brain and spine surgery. 
• "Keyhole" method. This less-invasive approach involves making a keyhole-sized incision in the scalp and a smaller skull opening to allow for the use of specialized instruments and techniques to remove a tumor.

We offer the experience, range of services and advanced medical technology you can only find at an academic health system, and we’re close to home and easy to access. Additionally, our doctors conduct research and can provide the safest, most effective procedures. Through clinical trials, we can offer some of the most progressive treatments available before they’re widely available.

Your care team will discuss your treatment options and develop your personalized care plan.

A neurosurgery team focused on you

From the moment you, or your doctor, call us for an appointment, your needs come first:

• We gather information, such as diagnostic tests that have been completed, to determine when you need to come in. If you have an urgent need, we get you in as soon as possible.
• If we require more information to do a proper evaluation, we’ll let you and your doctor know about any tests that need to be completed.
• If you need appointments with more than one doctor or for testing, we’ll try to coordinate your visits on the same day so you don’t have to make multiple trips.
• If we believe your condition doesn’t require surgery, we’ll recommend another plan. We respect your time and we try to prevent unnecessary visits.
• We want to make taking control of your health convenient. Our patient portal allows you to access your records, read through opinions, get test results and more.

We understand a neurological condition can be life changing, so we try to anticipate your needs to make your experience as worry-free as possible. Neurosurgery team members — neurosurgeons, respiratory therapists and rehabilitation therapists, social workers, dietitians and other specialists — meet daily to discuss your condition and plan your care. This allows us to coordinate all the services you’ll need promptly, from testing and therapies to postsurgical care and rehabilitation services. Your entire team talks regularly and works together to make sure you’re taken care of well.

We combine leading-edge neurosurgical care with personalized, well-coordinated services — a combination that brings people from throughout Missouri to MU Health Care.