Diseases of the brain and the central nervous system, requiring surgery, are treated at the Department of Neurosurgery. All in all, over 3,100 patients (150 children) are operated on annually.

Six hundred of the operations are brain tumour surgery. About a half of the tumours are benign and the patients heal permanently. In the event of the tumour being malignant, the patient may be able to live autonomously for years, even as long as 10 years, but still the consequence usually is death within a couple of years.

Of the over 500 cerebrovascular operations at the Neurosurgery Clinic, the most common operation is the corrective surgery of cerebro-arterial aneurysms. After cerebral haemorrhages, patients are often quite debilitated. Recovery from a haemorrhage is slow, but most patients recover so well that they regain their independence or their ability to work.

Over 500 moderate to severe brain injuries are treated annually. The most common reasons for brain injuries are traffic accidents or falls.

Demanding vertebral canal surgery is performed on about 700 patients, annually. The majority, or over 400 patients, are operated for cervical spine diseases, while the rest have surgery for complicated thoracic spine and lumbar spine diseases.

Operations for hydrocephalus (shunts and endoscopic ventriculostomies) are also common in neurosurgery; about 300 of these are carried out annually.

Often, when patients arrive for treatment they are debilitated and not fully conscious due to their central nervous system disease. On arrival, most patients require intensive care to support their vital functions. Even when patients have been transferred to the ward, they still need vigilant observation and assistance with nearly all basic functions. With modern treatment most patients recover and mortality is now only 3%, with these serious illnesses.