Neurosurgery in Spain
Barcelona has a cast of world-class neurosurgery professionals like Dr. Enrique Ferrer, who has pioneered new minimally invasive techniques like robotic neurosurgery, neuronavigation and neurosurgery for Parkinson’s disease, and also performed the world’s first remote-control-guided neurosurgery operation!
Dr. Gerard Conesa, a prestigious specialist in complex spine disorders, particularly tumors and vascular neurosurgery, has won several awards in recognition of his work. Responsible for setting up Spain’s first program to use cortical stimulation to precisely map brain functions, his work is referenced in the training of many neurosurgeons all over the world. He also pioneered the introduction of virtual reality in the operating room in collaboration with the University of Singapore Hospital and the implementation of the transcranial magnetic stimulation system.
Dr. Pablo Clavel is a world-renowned spinal surgeon for his use of innovative approach techniques. While neurosurgeons traditionally performed spine surgery through an anterior approach from the back, advances in the field now make it possible to approach the area from different places and implant the prosthesis in front of the intervertebral discs. This much less invasive technique avoids the nerves, muscles and ligaments that cover the spine in the back, the implant is lifelong and perfectly imitates the natural disc, and recovery time is much shorter, hospital stays are shorter, recuperation is much less painful and the global outcomes are spectacular…this technique is only performed by surgeons in three countries: Germany, the UK and Spain. Dr. Clavel has performed over 2,100 operations using this technique and is recognized as one of the best surgeons in the world in ADR. 95% of patients recover their normal lifestyle and can exercise and play sports again.
EPILEPSY SURGERY IN BARCELONA
Epilepsy affects approximately 1% of the world’s population and is pharmacologically intractable in about one-third of all instances. Catalan neuroscientists recommend assessing the suitability of surgery when antiepileptic drugs fail to work. Of the 30% of patients resistant to drug treatment, about half can get good results with surgery.
Of course, these cases require a previous diagnosis made by an expert team: 24-hour video-EEG monitoring, magnetic resonance (3 Tesla), PET and SPECT, which allow specialists to accurately determine the epileptogenic zone. All these tests are standard at Barcelona hospitals that specialize in epilepsy.
Only after this complete exam can the specialist establish the perspectives of surgical treatment, and the precise methods and approaches to implementing the treatment plan. Barcelona is one of the most active European centers in the area of epilepsy surgery, both in the extraction of a part of the brain that causes epileptic seizures, as well as in stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) to implant electrodes, the most advanced technique in the surgical treatment of epilepsy. In pharmacologically intractable cases where a surgical resection is not possible, treatments like the insertion of a vagal nerve stimulator (VNS therapy) can be offered.
There are two two-person teams of well-known experts skilled at offering the most effective treatment for each individual case: Dr. Bartolomé Oliver (neurosurgeon) and Dr. Antonio Russi (neurologist specializing in the treatment of childhood epilepsy) and the team of Dr. Rodrigo Rocamora (neurologist, prominent epilepsy specialist) and Dr. Gerard Conesa (neurosurgeon), who we already mentioned. Their work in the field of epilepsy research, diagnosis and surgery in Spain, using the most advanced techniques and technologies, is widely recognized in the international medical community.
