Temporary removal of a portion of the skull to allow the removal or debulking of a tumour, brain biopsy or drainage of a cerebral abscess. The skull portion is usually re-inserted at the end of surgery.

Temporary removal of a portion of the skull to allow the removal or debulking of a tumour, brain biopsy or drainage of a cerebral abscess. The skull portion is usually re-inserted at the end of surgery. Carrying out the operation awake allows the intra-operative assessment of a patients neurological function, in particular their speech. Indications are epilepsy, excision of tumours close to the brain's speech centres. Awake means that patients are typically anaesthetised (being asleep) for the start of the operation, woken up during the critical period to allow for the assessment, then re-anaesthetised for the end of the operation. Occasionally the whole procedure is carried out with sedation and local anaesthesia instead of a general anaesthetic.

Intracranial bleeding (blood clots) can be extradural, subdural or intracerebral, and they can be life threatening conditions that require urgent removal.

Operation on the posterior fossa which lies at the back of the skull and contains important structures such as the brainstem and cerebellum. Indications include debulking of tumours, vascular procedures and foramen magnum decompression

Insertion of one or two electrodes into the epidural space for the treatment of certain chronic pain conditions (refractory back pain after back surgery, neuropathic pain, complex regional pain syndrome, refractory cardiac angina, amputation pain). The electrode delivers a small electrical field to a certain area of your spinal cord to modify and mask pain messages to the brain. a cable connects the electrode to a generator with a battery which is implanted under the skin. Spinal cord stimulators can be placed in the epidural space of the lower back, chest and neck. It can be performed in just one procedure or with a trial in two procedures 1 to 2 weeks apart.

Surgical removal of a tumor from the pituitary gland. Pituitary tumours account for about 15% of all brain tumours, and they can produce hormones that affect the body or may affect the peripheral vision of a patient. It is usually an elective procedure. However, it is undertaken urgently if the patient's peripheral vision is affected. Surgery is carried out through the nose.

Insertion of a drain from the cerebral ventricles in the brain running to the peritoneum in the abdomen. This allows drainage of cerebrospinal fluid (csf) to treat hydrocephalus, an excess of csf in the brain