The Department of Neurologic Surgery maintains a close association with the Department of Neurology at the Mayo Clinic. Most patients are evaluated by a Mayo neurologist prior to referral to a neurosurgeon. Neurologists specialize in diseases of the nervous system, including those that are not amenable to surgical intervention.
Many nonsurgical conditions can resemble diseases that require surgery.
In these cases, the neurologist is instrumental in determining a correct diagnosis and deciding the correct treatment. In cases involving epilepsy and movement disorders, the neurologists play a fundamental role in managing those patients selected for a surgical intervention. Most patients referred for neurosurgical procedures require specialized radiographic studies during their evaluation. These can range from noninvasive studies such as computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging to more invasive procedures such as myelography and angiography. These tests are performed by specialized radiologists called neuroradiologists.