We provide services for all types of neurosurgery conditions through our specialized programs and clinics.
The thought of neurosurgery can be frightening, but our experts have your best interests in mind. Our specialists bring years of surgery experience to your care. Whenever possible, we perform minimally invasive surgery to help you recover faster and with less pain.
We provide medical and surgical evaluation and treatment of adults with brachial plexus and other peripheral nerve injuries. One of the most important benefits of UW Health's Brachial Plexus Clinic is the multidisciplinary approach. Your care team might include providers from neurosurgery, neuroradiology, orthopedic surgery, rehabilitation medicine, plastic surgery, anesthesiology, occupational and physical therapy, specialty nursing and behavioral psychology. This collaboration is essential to creating a step-by-step plan that first enables damaged nerves to regenerate as well as possible.
We are experienced when it comes to brain tumors and experience matters. The physicians at UW Health are leaders in the diagnosis, research and treatment of patients with all types of cancerous and noncancerous brain and pituitary tumors. We see more than 1,200 brain tumor patients annually with common, as well as rare, brain tumors and cancers.
Our program offers a truly comprehensive, team-based approach to brain tumor care. We focus on minimizing and managing the side effects of the tumor and treatments. Our goal is to make it easier for you to receive the proper care by minimizing your travel and follow-up appointments, as well as providing you with a personalized treatment plan. We will support you through your entire journey, including the decision-making process, evaluation, hospitalization, treatment and survivorship.
The Wisconsin-based Stroke Program at UW Health has been certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center and offers expertise to provide the most advanced care for all types of stroke. Our range of services is unmatched in the region. Our stroke specialists have advanced specialty training in stroke care and prevention and doctors are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
We are dedicated to the philosophy that the impact of stroke can be minimized by a combination of aggressive prevention, rapid and intensive acute stroke management and a positive attitude toward rehabilitation. From stroke prevention through imaging, acute stroke treatment and rehabilitation services, the UW Health stroke program offers coordinated care from a team of specialists.
UW Health's Comprehensive Epilepsy Surgical Program offers state-of-the-art care for patients with epilepsy or whose seizures cannot be controlled with other treatments.
Our University Hospital location is accredited by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers as a Level 4 epilepsy center, which means we have the professional expertise and facilities to provide the highest level of medical and surgical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy.
You might be a candidate for epilepsy surgery if your seizures cannot be controlled with antiepileptic drugs or if your seizures are uncontrolled for two years or more and your quality of life has been majorly impacted.
Surgical treatments for epilepsy could include:
Anterior temporal lobectomy
Extra-temporal surgery
Hemispherectomy
Laser ablation surgery for epilepsy
Lesionectomy
Multiple subpial transection
We use deep brain stimulation (DBS) to treat and correct epilepsy, movement disorders, tremor and other neurological conditions in cases where other treatments haven’t provided relief. UW Health’s experienced team of neurosurgeons performing DBS surgery have fellowship training in stereotactic or functional surgery. The goal of the surgery is to provide our patients with a better quality of life by improving the control of movement. It could result in a reduction of tremor, rigidity, dyskinesia or dystonia.
Neuroendovascular surgery (NES) at UW Health is an innovative neurosurgical treatment for complex brain and spinal cord vascular diseases that is performed from inside the blood vessels. Our cerebrovascular experts treat adults and children with all types of aneurysms, cerebrovascular lesions, arteriovenous and vascular malformations. We use advanced endovascular techniques that include tumor embolization and intracranial and extracranial stents.
The UW Health Kids Pediatric Neurosurgery Program at American Family Children's Hospital provides provide pediatric specialty care to children with injuries and conditions of the brain, spine and peripheral nerves. Our trained providers offer consultation, evaluation, diagnosis and surgical treatment for children with a variety of neurological conditions.
Our neurosurgeons treat tumors and aneurysms located at the base, or bottom, of the skull through open skull surgery or a less-invasive technique called endoscopic surgery. Endoscopic skull base surgery allows access to the tumor or lesion through the nose or mouth. This method can lead to a faster recovery.
Open skull surgery is still recommended for some cases, and we are committed to ensuring the best outcome for each of our patients. The method used will be based on a person's overall health and location of the tumor.
Our multidisciplinary team of highly experienced providers could include specialists in neurosurgery, otolaryngology (ENT), endocrinology and ophthalmology.
Our team of nationally recognized spine surgeons use minimally invasive and endovascular procedures to treat a wide range of spine conditions and injuries. The UW Health Spine Surgery Program uses a comprehensive group of experts in neurosurgery and orthopedic surgery to diagnose and treat our patients. All surgeons at UW Health are fellowship-trained, meaning they've had advanced training specializing in spine surgery.
Surgical intervention for spine problems is required in a small minority of patients with symptoms that are unresponsive to nonoperative measures or symptoms indicating structural abnormalities of the spine or nerve compression.
Our Neuro and Headache Center in Rockford, Ill., offers surgical and non-surgical care for neurological conditions.
Our research improves brain, spine, stroke and tumor care
UW Health neurosurgeons work to improve surgical care for you. We research better ways to use technology to treat stroke and tumors. This work means better, more advanced care for you.
We also lead and participate in clinical trials related to brain, spine, stroke and tumor conditions. You get access to the most advanced neurosurgical treatments available. Learn more
Comprehensive epilepsy evaluation
Comprehensive movement disorder evaluation
Electroencephalogram (EEG) tests
Electromyography
Muscle, nerve and skin biopsies
Nerve conduction studies
Neuropsychological assessment
Specialized imaging (CT, MRI, etc.)
Blood vessel diseases
Arteriovenous malformation
Brain aneurysm
Moya Moya disease
Vascular malformation
Trauma
Brain injuries
Spinal cord injuries
Tumors
Brain tumors
Acoustic neuroma
Meningioma
Astrocytoma
Spine
Spinal cord tumors
Peripheral nerve tumors
Pituitary tumors
Spine disease
Pinched nerve
Herniated disc
Low back and leg pain
Myelopathy
Sciatica
Spinal cord tumors
Congenital neurosurgery (pediatric)
Chiari malformations
Hydrocephalus
Peripheral nerve disease
Brachial plexus injury
Pain
Trigeminal neuralgia
Dystonia
Spasticity
Tourette’s syndrome
Tremor
Epilepsy/ seizures
We provide neurosurgical care for many brain, spine and peripheral nerve conditions. We use the most advanced and least-invasive techniques whenever possible.
Procedures and treatments we provide include:
Carotid endarterectomy
Cerebrovascular surgery
Deep brain stimulation
Epilepsy surgery
Intrathecal baclofen pump
Intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging
Microvascular decompression
Neurocritical intensive care unit
Neuroendovascular surgery
Novacure
Skull base surgery
Spine surgery
Stereostatic radiosurgery
Transsphenoidal craniotomy
Trauma surgery for the head, neck, nerves and spine
Tumor surgery for the head, spine and peripheral nerves, including brachial plexus
Vascular surgery
UW Health offers patients with stroke, aneurysm or other neurological conditions a modern, robotic, hybrid angiography operating room where physicians can see — with even greater precision — inside blood vessels of the brain and spine during surgery.
The Siemens ARTIS icono technology at University Hospital allows surgeons to implant, repair and perform complex, minimally invasive procedures to treat vascular disorders of the brain, spine, head and neck. It is used to re-open brain vessels to reverse a stroke or to treat ruptured brain aneurysms.
20 S Park Clinic Neurosurgery and Spine Clinic
Science Dr Medical Center Spine Medicine Clinic
University Hospital Neurosurgery Clinic
East Madison Hospital Spine Medicine Clinic
Beloit Clinic Neurosurgery and Spine Surgery Clinic
Fort HealthCare Neurosurgery and Spine Surgery Clinic
Reedsburg Area Medical Center Neurosurgery and Spine Surgery Clinic
Azam Ahmed, MD, FACS
NeurosurgeryRaheel Ahmed, MD, PhD
Pediatric NeurosurgeryMustafa Baskaya, MD
NeurosurgeryPatrick Belton, MD
NeurosurgeryJennifer Bestland, NP
NeurosurgeryNathaniel Brooks, MD
Spine Medicine
Find the support you need
You and your family can learn how to manage your condition and get help from our many support groups. We provide groups close to home for people living with brain tumors, movement disorders, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury and stroke. Find support