Department of Neurosurgery @ Ospedale San Raffaele

The Neurosurgery Unit provides comprehensive services for the diagnosis, treatment and surgical management of the main conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. The department is an internationally-recognized centre for brain tumour treatments. It is a national reference centre in the treatment of pituitary and of the cranial base tumours (meningiomas, chordomas, craniopharyngiomas, etc.).

Microsurgery and stereotaxic radiosurgery with Gamma Knife are frequently integrated.  Patients are followed by a multidisciplinary group of neurosurgeons, endocrinologists, neuro-radiologists, neuro-ophthalmologists, ENT surgeons, and radiotherapists to offer optimal treatment. Malformations and tumours of the brain and spinal cord are also treated in children and adolescents.

The Neurosurgery Unit has achieved various milestones in its clinical activities. In October of 2018, for the first time in Europe, a complete micro-neurosurgical correction of spina bifida was performed. A multidisciplinary team, under the coordination of Professor Pietro Mortini, Head of the Department of Neurosurgery, and Professor Massimo Candiani, Head of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, collaborated to achieve a comprehensive correction of this congenital malformation. They employed advanced micro-neurosurgery instruments to meticulously reconstruct the malformed anatomical structures.

Subsequently, in September 2020, a historic milestone was reached with the world's first successful neurosurgical removal of a brain tumor, specifically a meningioma, utilizing a robotoscope — an advanced 3D robotic digital visualization device under digital control. This groundbreaking procedure was conducted by Professor Pietro Mortini and his dedicated team. The patient received the diagnosis two months before the surgery and was discharged from the hospital after the operation, marking a significant advancement in neurosurgical techniques.