Neurosurgery

Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, together with Royal Perth Hospital (RPH), Perth Children's Hospital (PCH) and Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) (elective spine only), is home to the State Neurosurgery Service.

The service is a major tertiary provider for the investigation and treatment of neurosurgical disorders, training and research in WA.

The SCGH Neurosurgery Department is the primary neurosurgery centre and receives the vast majority of referrals for inpatient and outpatient care. This includes general and subspecialty interests in neurosurgery, neurovascular, neuro-oncology, movement disorders and spinal.

Additional services are provided at the other sites. Traumatic brain injuries are managed at RPH, paediatric neurosurgery is managed at PCH (by surgeons employed by SCGH) and elective spinal service is provided at FSH.

A team of 11 registrars are employed under the state-wide service rota and cross-cover across each campus. They are supervised by the state-wide service. As such this is the only true state-wide service in WA.

The registrar and intern education involves weekly grand rounds, weekly morning teaching sessions, weekly Resident Medical Officer teaching sessions and weekly neuro-oncology, neuroradiology, and neurosurgical MDT meetings. There is also a regular Saturday morning registrar teaching session. All registrars are allotted formal mentors and all consultants have yearly performance appraisals.

There is a considerable amount of research within the department which has the second highest research output in Australia. Within the department, Professor Knuckey (neuroprotection and stroke), Mr Honeybul (neurotrauma and thromboembolic prophylaxis), Ms Lee (paediatric brain tumours) all publish widely.

The department is active on a nationwide basis. Mr Honeybul is the immediate past Senior Examiner for the Neurosurgical Fellowship. Currently Professor Lee is on the Board of Examiners for Neurosurgery Fellowship.

Ms Lee is currently on the Board of Surgical Education and Training for Neurosurgery. Ms Saha is a member on the Royal Australian College for Surgeons committee.

In 2014/2015 the service conducted a combined State neurology and neurosurgery review of the management of intra-ventricular drain in cerebral haemorrhage with inter-ventricular extension, and a review of case and best practice in literature.

In response, a SCGH Neurosurgery Department review and update of best practice for management of low-grade glioma was introduced.