Common Neurological Conditions Treated in Neurosurgery
Published: August 2026
Neurosurgery treats conditions of the brain, spine, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. This overview introduces the conditions we see most often — what they are, how they present, and when surgical care may play a role. Each condition links to a more detailed resource.
Brain conditions
Brain tumors
Abnormal growths of brain tissue that can be benign or malignant. Depending on location and type, treatment ranges from surveillance to surgical resection, radiation and chemotherapy. Learn about brain tumor surgery and early symptoms.
Epilepsy (drug-resistant)
A neurological disorder marked by recurrent seizures. When two or more medications fail to control seizures, surgery — including focus resection and neurostimulation — may offer seizure freedom. Learn about epilepsy surgery.
Parkinson's disease and movement disorders
Progressive disorders affecting movement. Deep brain stimulation can improve tremor, rigidity and medication fluctuations in carefully selected patients. Learn about DBS treatment.
Vascular conditions (aneurysms, AVMs)
Abnormalities of brain blood vessels that may cause bleeding or stroke. Depending on risk, treatment includes surgical clipping, endovascular coiling or observation.
Spinal conditions
Herniated discs
A disc's inner material presses on a nerve root, causing radiating pain, numbness or weakness in an arm or leg. Many cases resolve conservatively; persistent cases may benefit from microdiscectomy.
Spinal stenosis
Narrowing of the spinal canal compressing the cord or nerve roots. Learn about persistent neck pain from spinal stenosis.
Spondylolisthesis and instability
A vertebra slips or a segment becomes unstable, often requiring spinal fusion to restore stability.
Nerve and skull base conditions
- Trigeminal neuralgia — severe facial pain, sometimes treated surgically with microvascular decompression.
- Pituitary tumors — often removed through the nose using endoscopic techniques.
- Normal pressure hydrocephalus — treated with a shunt to relieve cerebrospinal fluid pressure.
- Carpal tunnel and nerve entrapments — decompression surgery for compressed peripheral nerves.
How to use this information
These descriptions are educational. Symptoms overlap between conditions, and a diagnosis requires a clinical evaluation and often imaging. If you are experiencing persistent or progressive symptoms, see a physician. If symptoms are sudden or severe, seek emergency care.
Emergency: Sudden severe headache, sudden weakness or numbness, difficulty speaking, confusion, loss of consciousness or a first-time seizure require immediate emergency care.
James Mitchell, MD, FACS
Author — Board-Certified Neurosurgeon.
Sarah Chen, MD, PhD
Medical Reviewer — Board-Certified Neurosurgeon.
Related resources
References
- American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Conditions and Treatments A–Z. Available at aans.org.