Neurosurgery

Turn to UNC Health Nash for treatment of back, neck, and spine conditions and peripheral nerve disorders. You’ll receive care from compassionate neurosurgeons close to home in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

Conditions We Treat

Get care for a wide range of conditions, including:

• Herniated discs – Damaged cushions between the vertebrae in your spine
• Meningioma – Tumor, usually noncancerous, on the surface of your brain or spinal cord
• Neuralgia – Pain caused by irritated or damaged nerves
• Pituitary adenomas – Noncancerous, slow-growing tumors in your pituitary gland, which is located at the base of your brain behind your eyes
• Sciatica – Pain from your sciatic nerve, which covers your lower back through your hips and bottom and down both legs
• Spinal tumors – Abnormal growths within your spinal cord or spinal column
• Spine disorders – Damaged or injured spine
• Peripheral nerve disorders – Pain and loss of feeling in your hands and feet due to damaged nerves
• Trigeminal neuralgia – Chronic pain affecting your trigeminal nerve, which carries impulses and messages from your lower face and jaw to your brain

Diagnostic Testing

Receive advanced tests that help you and your care team find out exactly what is affecting you. Benefit from access to:

• Arteriogram – Uses X-ray and a special dye to view arteries to check for aneurysms, narrowed blood vessels, and blockages
• Myelogram – Uses an X-ray and a special dye to create pictures of your spine to find a tumor, infection, or other problems
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – Uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to create pictures that can highlight problems in your spine and back

Spinal Procedures

Access a team of neurosurgeons with experience performing a wide range of advanced treatments for your brain, neck, spine, and nervous system, including:

• Carotid artery surgery (carotid endarterectomy) – Removes plaque buildup from inside your carotid arteries to restore regular blood flow to the brain
• Carpal tunnel surgery – Relieves nerve pressure to fix numbness and muscle weakness in the hand
• Epidural steroid injections – Ease pain in your neck, back, or legs
• Kyphoplasty – Repairs a compressed vertebra by injecting a special cement mixture to keep it from collapsing again
• Herniated disc surgery – Removes all or a portion of the damaged disc in your neck or back to relieve pain
• Lumbar spinal fusion surgery (arthrodesis) – Joins two or more vertebrae in your lower back to keep your spine stable
• Pituitary tumor surgery – Removes tumors from your pituitary gland located right behind the bridge of your noise, which controls many hormone glands in your body
• Spinal cord stimulation therapy – Implants a small device that uses electrical pulses to manage chronic pain

Brain Surgery

Get specialized care from our skilled surgeons who perform brain surgeries at UNC Nash, such as:

• Brain tumor surgery – Removes benign (non-cancerous) or cancerous tissue from your brain
• Craniotomy – Takes out part of the bone from your skull to treat brain tumors, hematomas (blood clots), aneurysms, or skull fractures

When Is Surgery Necessary?

Depend on your UNC Nash care team to start your care with conservative treatments whenever possible. In some cases, you may experience relief through physical therapy, medicines, or injections. If nonsurgical treatment doesn’t help your discomfort, work with your doctor to decide if surgery is right for you.

How Long Will I Be in the Hospital?

The length of your hospital stay depends on your procedure, medical history, and health needs. Your doctor may recommend an outpatient procedure—a surgery where you can go home the same day. Or you might have an inpatient procedure—an operation that requires you to remain in the hospital one to three days after surgery.

Recovery After Surgery

In most cases, you can return to work one to three months after your surgery. You’ll continue to heal for up to 12 months.

Achieve the best outcome by:

• Staying active
• Following your doctor’s orders
• Participating in physical therapy as recommended

Our Neurosurgeons

Get care from skilled neurosurgeons who have decades of experience treating back, neck, and nerve disorders. Know you’re getting the best care from board-certified neurosurgeons who meet requirements set by the American Board of Neurological Surgery. Count on knowledgeable surgeons who use this education and best practices to help give you better care and a better outcome.