Neurosurgery

Since it was established, the Neurosurgery Department of the University Hospital of Bellvitge has been a model of Neurosurgery healthcare in Catalonia and Spain.

Right from the start, every effort has been made to improve basic conditions of neurosurgical practice, such as the standardisation of procedures and the improvement of techniques. Over recent years, efforts have focused on the creation of specific lines of work, many based on multi-disciplinary teams. This form of healthcare is fully in line with the vision of the HUB and the ICS and is closely linked to the field of clinical research and education.

These measures have a direct impact on the patient, allowing for increased indications, safer procedures, and more favourable prognoses in a highly complex medical speciality. The HUB-Neurosurgery HJ23 of Tarragona Extended Neurosurgery Department was recently created to optimise services and resources and be able to offer better, more complete healthcare to users in our region.

Staff

Head of Service

Gabarrós Canals, Andreu

Head of Section

López Obarrio, Luis

Head of Nursing Area

Sánchez Salido, Lia Tamar

Managing Nurses

Cercós Recuenco, Rosa Maria

Arenas Ruiz, Teresa

Specialist Doctors

Aparicio Caballero, Marco Alberto

Blanch Pujol, Gemma

Cifre Pujol, Pere

De Vilalta Bufurull, Alexandre

Fernández Coello, Alejandro

Godino Martínez, Óscar

López Ojeda, Pablo

Marnov, Alexey

Plans Ahicart, Gerard

Rosselló Gómez, Aleix

Sanmillán Blasco, José Luis

Torres Díaz, Alberto

Neuro-oncology

The main line of healthcare and research due to the volume of patients involved. It basically includes the treatment of glial tumors and brain metastases, but also other complex tumors in other locations. The cornerstone of this line of work is the Neuro-oncology Committee, which meets every week and is formed by neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists, physicians, neuro-oncology radiation therapists, neuro-anatomopathologists and neuroradiologists.

Neurovascular

Neurovascular Pathology also plays an important role in our Department, as it is one of the most productive of the whole of Spain in this field. Surgery involving complex aneurysms, AVMs and Cavernomas in areas of highly functional eloquence, cerebral by pass, using intraoperative neuromonitoring and brain mapping techniques.

Skull Base and Hypophysis

Another type of pathology with a significant number of cases. Exeresis of skull base tumors, basically meningiomas, neurinomas or epidermoid cysts of the cerebellopontine angle. In late 2013, transnasal neuroendoscopy became part of the Department’s activities for the resection of hypophyseal tumors.

Functional Neurosurgery

There are three types of pathology within Functional Neurosurgery: the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), the treatment of movement disorders (Parkinson’s disease and dystonias), and the treatment of pain. The treatment of OCD is provided alongside a line of work with Psychiatry, and our hospital is one of the two hospitals in Spain where the surgical treatment of this psychiatric disease is performed.

Epilepsy

The creation of the Epilepsy Unit has led to the systematisation of surgical treatment in epilepsy patients. The unit is made up of Neurologists, Neurosurgeons, Nueropsychologists and Neurophysiologists.

Spinal Column

A large pathology group. Degenerative spinal and cervical, dorsal and lumbar tumor surgery, applying open surgery and minimally invasive surgery techniques, 360º lumbar spinal fusion. Complex approaches to vertebral tumors, especially metastases.

Cerebrospinal Fluid

Another pathology with high volume due to the increase in the geriatric population with chronic adult-onset hydrocephalus. In the case of hydrocephalus, we have all the forms of diagnosis and treatment for acute, chronic, obstructive or communicating, with ventricular bypass valves or endoscopic ventricular fenestrations. We also include treatment of pseudotumor cerebri and Chiari malformations I

Cranioencephalic Traumatism (TBI)

Treatment of patients with cranioencephalic traumatism makes up a significant part of the emergency surgery practised in our Department, including the evacuation of intracranial haematoma and decompressive craniectomies.

Research

Lines of research

In the field of functional Neuro-oncology, we work closely with the Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, sharing different brain mapping projects, primarily involving language.
We take part in international clinical trials in relation to Neurofunctional Pathology, especially in the treatment of Compulsive Obsessive Disorder.
In Vascular Neurosurgery, different clinical research projects are underway regarding brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, cerebral by pass and cavernomas, and different international clinical trials.
In terms of Skull Base Surgery, Epilepsy Surgery, Neurofunctional Pathology, Hydrocephalus, Cranioencephalic Traumatism and Spinal Pathology, we are conducting different clinical studies and have recently taken part in different multicentric studies and international clinical trials.

Main Publications

Treatment of cavernous malformations in supratentorial eloquent areas: experience after 10 years of patient-tailored surgical protocol. Sanmillan JL, Lopez-Ojeda P, Fernández-Conejero I, Fernández-Coello A, Plans G, Ali-Ciurana Y, Gabarrós A. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2018 Oct;160(10):1963-1974. doi: 10.1007/s00701-018-3644-3. Epub 2018 Aug 8.
Working Memory Deficits After Lesions Involving the Supplementary Motor Area. Cañas A, Juncadella M, Lau R, Gabarrós A, Hernández M. Front Psychol. 2018 May 23;9:765. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00765. eCollection 2018.
Delayed surgical site infection 2 years after cervical disk arthroplasty. Case report and literature review. Rosselló A, Sanmillán JL, López-Obarrio L, Pelegrín I, Gabarrós A, Godino O. Neurocirugia (Astur). 2018 Apr 4. pii: S1130-1473(18)30023-X. doi: 10.1016/j.neucir.2018.02.004. [Epub ahead of print] English, Spanish.
Involvement of the middle frontal gyrus in language switching as revealed by electrical stimulation mapping and functional magnetic resonance imaging in bilingual brain tumor patients. Sierpowska J, Fernandez-Coello A, Gomez-Andres A, Camins À, Castañer S, Juncadella M, Gabarrós A, Rodríguez-Fornells A. Cortex. 2018 Feb;99:78-92. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.10.017. Epub 2017 Nov 14.
Ganglioglioma Progression to Combined Anaplastic Ganglioglioma and Anaplastic Pleomorphic Xanthoastrocytoma. Case Report and Literature Review. Rosselló A, Plans G, Vidal-Sarró N, Fernández-Coello A, Gabarrós A. World Neurosurg. 2017 Dec;108:996.e17-996.e25. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2017.09.072. Epub 2017 Sep 20. Review.

Education

Degree education

Our Department is currently involved in degree education at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona on the Bellvitge Campus, with two Associate Medical Professors teaching Neurosurgery (A. Gabarrós and A. Torres) and one Associate Professor teaching Anatomy (A. Fernández Coello). All the professionals in the department also take part in the internships of Medicine students from the Campus and international students who rotate through our Department. Post-graduate training corresponding to Neurosurgery residents is also provided. We currently have one resident a year and the HUB Neurosurgery Department is one of the most sought-after places for this speciality in the whole of Spain.
We also offer post-graduate education to rotating residents from other specialities, such as Neurology and Orthopaedic Surgery, and Neurosurgery residents from other hospitals in Spain and abroad wanting to intern in our Hospital. We also organise and take part as professors in many different courses and master’s degrees every year.

Main Building at Bellvitge University Hospital
Feixa Llarga no number, st. | 08907 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat. Barcelona
Floor 9 | Telephone 93 260 76 28

News

La 7a edició del Mapping Course Bellvitge presenta els darrers avenços de la disciplina

News

29 November 2024

The 7th edition of the Mapping Course Bellvitge presents the latest advances in the field.

News

28 October 2024

Catalan researchers describe for the first time how to operate on a brain tumor while preserving the ability to play chess

News

25 October 2023

Neurosurgery

Staff

Head of Service

Head of Section

Head of Nursing Area

Managing Nurses

Specialist Doctors

Relevant aspects

Neuro-oncology

Neurovascular

Skull Base and Hypophysis

Functional Neurosurgery

Epilepsy

Spinal Column

Cerebrospinal Fluid

Cranioencephalic Traumatism (TBI)

Research

Lines of research

Main Publications

Education

Degree education

News

The 7th edition of the Mapping Course Bellvitge presents the latest advances in the field.

Catalan researchers describe for the first time how to operate on a brain tumor while preserving the ability to play chess

Five doctors from the Bellvitge University Hospital receive the Professional Excellence Award by the Barcelona Medical Association

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