Department of Neurological Surgery

August 23, 2018

Study explores risk factors for acoustic neuroma growth

Surgeons face a delicate proposition when treating acoustic neuromas, benign tumors on the nerve that affect hearing and balance. Removing small tumors through surgery and radiation can cause complications such as the loss of hearing, when the tumors may not grow and impact quality of life for years. But not removing them can allow them to grow and be more difficult to remove and pose even greater risks.

By Matt Batcheldor
May 31, 2018

Research reveals underappreciated role of brainstem in epilepsy

New research from Vanderbilt suggests that repeated seizures reduce brainstem connectivity, a possible contributor to unexplained neurocognitive problems in epilepsy patients.

By Tom Wilemon
February 8, 2018

Neurosurgery, spine programs named among best in nation

Becker’s Hospital Review has recognized Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) as having one of the 100 best neurosurgery and spine programs in the nation.

By Tom Wilemon
January 29, 2018

Imaging features predict tumor grade

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered imaging features associated with increased risk for aggressive meningiomas (tumors of the brain membranes) that could help guide surgical planning and patient counseling.

By Leigh MacMillan
September 28, 2017

Neurostimulation an option for some epilepsy patients

Patients with epilepsy who suffer seizures that can’t be effectively treated with medications or established surgical interventions could benefit from responsive neurostimulation, a relatively new treatment.

By Tom Wilemon
May 4, 2017

Wellons to co-chair neurosurgery journal’s board

Jay Wellons, M.D., MSPH, chief of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery and professor of Neurological Surgery, was recently named co-chair of the editorial board for the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics.

By VUMC News and Communications
March 30, 2017

NFL names Sills as league’s first-ever chief medical officer

Vanderbilt’s Allen Sills, M.D., has been chosen by the National Football League (NFL) to be its chief medical officer, a newly created position.
By Tom Wilemon
February 16, 2017

New technique helps ease ear tumor surgery

Last fall, the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center became the second facility in the country and third in the world to use a fully endoscopic surgical technique to remove an acoustic neuroma, a rare benign tumor on the balance and hearing nerves.
By Matt Batcheldor
December 1, 2016

Quick response key after chiropractic-related stroke

Ashley Johnson suffered the same type of stroke after a chiropractic neck manipulation that killed model and social media star Katie May earlier this year, but the 29-year-old woman survived thanks to quick recognition and rapid response.
By Tom Wilemon
November 10, 2016

Family’s PICU experience sparks commitment to giving

Two years ago, Laura and Justin Burney faced the unthinkable: almost losing their infant daughter, Brooklyn.
By Christina Echegaray
September 1, 2016

Chance to help others drives neurosurgeon Thompson

The tears Reid Thompson, M.D., shed one day as a medical student left an indelible mark.
By Tom Wilemon
August 25, 2016

VUMC team helps launch fetal surgery program in Australia

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) made history in 1997 when two surgeons pioneered fetal surgery to treat spina bifida, or myelomeningocele, the most common birth defect in the central nervous system.
By Christina Echegaray
August 4, 2016

NIH grant boosts Englot’s epilepsy research efforts

Dario Englot, M.D., Ph.D., has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to support his research into better understanding brain connectivity disturbances in patients with focal epilepsy.
By Tom Wilemon