Vascular neurosurgery
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Vascular neurosurgery involves the treatment of abnormalities of blood vessels of the brain and spinal cord. Some examples are brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and spinal arteriovenous fistulas.
These patients are managed by neurosurgeons and interventional neuroradiologists.
For example, some brain aneurysms are treated by neuroradiologists with endovascular coiling and some are treated by neurosurgeons with craniotomy and clipping.
We use a variety of techniques to manage such patients including imaging (perfusion CT, Xenon-CT monitoring) and monitoring (trans-cranial Doppler, brain tissue oxygen) to manage vasospasm.
Indocyanine green and micro-Dopplers are routinely used intraoperatively.
We provide weekend treatment service for cerebral aneurysms including coiling and clipping.
Robert Iorga, Francis Johnston, Pawan Minhas and Marios Papadopoulos sub-specialise in vascular neurosurgery.
Referrals
Elective referrals can be made by the e-Referrals System. The address for non-urgent referrals is:
Department of Neurosurgery
Atkinson Morley Wing
St George’s Hospital
Blackshaw Road
London SW17 0QT
Fax – 020 8725 4452
Emergency referrals
Neurosurgical On-Call Referrals
All emergency neurosurgery referrals to St George’s Hospital are to be made electronically via a secure on-line web system www.referapatient.org
Please access this webpage and select the ‘make a referral’ button and fill out the necessary information and clinical details. Once submitted, the on-call neurosurgery doctor will be informed of the referral by text and will review and respond at the earliest opportunity. The response will be received as a pdf letter which will be emailed to the (secure) address provided by the referrer.
If you have trouble opening the PDF document click here for troubleshooting advice.
If you wish to speak to a doctor whilst completing a referral, please contact St George’s Hospital switchboard on 020 8672 1255 and ask for the ‘On Call Neurosurgery Registrar’ or access their bleep (7242) via the automated bleep desk. They may be unable to answer immediately if they are taking another call so please wait for a reply.
It is our experience that the transfer of scans for review can take some time. We therefore recommend contacting PACS transfer teams or radiographers depending on local policy to send any relevant imaging at the earliest opportunity via the Image Exchange Portal (IEP). If your case is urgent then please specify that these scans should be transferred as a ‘Blue Light Transfer‘.
Mortality data
Consultant outcome publication (COP) is an NHS England initiative to increase transparency within the NHS and to provide the public with information on surgical outcomes. The Neurosurgical National Audit Programme (NNAP) has been mandated by NHS England to publish activity and mortality data for all neurosurgery units and consultant neurosurgeons practising in England.
The newly published mortality data shows that the St George’s Hospital neurosurgery unit has a lower than expected mortality rate. You can read the NNAP report on St George’s and compare our performance with other neurosurgery units on the Neurosurgical National Audit Programme website.
Consultant Outcome Publication 2014
Read the mortality data and outcome report for each of our consultant neurosurgeons:
