When most people hear the word "neurosurgery," they automatically think of brain surgery. However, neurosurgery encompasses far more than the brain.

Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of the entire nervous system, composed of the brain and its vascular supply including the carotid arteries, spinal cord and spinal column, as well as peripheral nerves.

Neurosurgeons are more than just brain surgeons. These medical specialists are trained to help patients with head and spine trauma, cerebrovascular disorders, such as aneurysms of the brain and clogged arteries in the neck that can lead to stroke, spinal disorders such as herniated discs in the back and neck, birth defects, brain and spinal tumors, and abnormalities of the peripheral nerves.

According to Dr. William Naso, each neurosurgeon in Florence Neurosurgery and Spine is aware of every patient's case. "It is unique to our practice in that we often treat the more complex patients collectively. Preoperatively, we discuss these cases together and develop surgical strategies and treatment plans."

"Recently, we operated on a patient with a tumor along the midbrain, deep in the center of the brain. Using skull-based techniques, and with the assistance of our Ear, Nose and Throat colleague, Dr. Howard Farrell, we were able to drill off the bone behind the ear and cut the membrane that divided the upper brain from the cerebellum and brainstem, and remove the tumor without retracting or traumatizing the normal brain," stated Dr. Naso. "Fifteen years ago, we could not remove these tumors as safely or easily."

Fortunately, these same skull-based techniques can be used with intracranial aneurysms. An aneurysm is a thin-walled dilation off of an artery. Your brain controls every action your body makes from walking and talking to moving your arms and breathing. Your brain requires the constant supply of energy brought by the blood to keep functioning and make these things happen.

The majority of cerebrovascular problems are identified through diagnostic imaging tests. A computed tomographic scan (CT scan) uses an x-ray beam and a computer to generate an image of the head. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses a large magnet and radio waves to generate an image of the head, or to visualize flow within the blood vessels of the neck and the brain.

With MRI technology, we can see the arteries in the neck, the major arteries inside the head and the brain itself. An MRI of the brain can help determine whether there is any sign of previous "mini" strokes. No radiation is involved, but rather MRI uses pulsed magnetic waves to delineate the structures within the brain.