Conditions & Treatments

What I Treat

Each page explains a condition in clear, straightforward terms — what it is, the symptoms, how it is diagnosed, treatment options, what to expect, and practical guides to help you prepare.

Brain Tumours

Growths in the brain

A brain tumour diagnosis raises the same question in almost every patient's mind within the first minute: is this cancer, and what happens now? The honest answer is that 'brain tumour' is not one disease but a large family of conditions, benign and malignant, that behave, and are treated, very differently depending on where they sit, what they are made of, and how they are growing.

Pituitary Tumours

Growths in the pituitary gland

The pituitary gland is small enough to sit on a fingertip, yet it directs much of the body's hormonal balance, growth, metabolism, reproduction, and the stress response among them. A tumour here can present to an endocrinologist, an ophthalmologist, a fertility clinic, or a neurosurgeon, depending on which system it disturbs first, which is why pituitary care is never a solo effort.

Skull Base Tumours

Growths at the base of the skull

The skull base is the bony floor separating the brain above from the eyes, sinuses, ears and upper neck below, and it is threaded through with nearly every major nerve and blood vessel that leaves the skull. Operating here means working within millimetres of structures responsible for vision, hearing, facial movement and sensation, swallowing, and the brain's blood supply, which is why skull base surgery is rarely, if ever, a one-surgeon undertaking.

Neuro-oncology

Cancer of the nervous system

Neuro-oncology is the branch of care for cancers of the brain, spinal cord, and the nerves that run through them, whether the cancer started there or spread from elsewhere in the body. No single specialist manages this alone: it is built around a team, and my role as the neurosurgeon is one part of a longer relationship that continues well beyond the operating theatre.

Gamma Knife Radiosurgery

Precision radiation without an incision

The name causes more confusion than almost anything else in this field: there is no knife, no blade, and no incision. Gamma Knife radiosurgery delivers a single, highly concentrated dose of radiation to a precisely defined target in the brain, treating selected tumours, vascular abnormalities, and conditions such as trigeminal neuralgia without ever opening the skull.

Trigeminal Neuralgia

Electric-shock facial pain

Trigeminal neuralgia is a disorder characterised by recurrent attacks of severe, unilateral facial pain affecting one or more divisions of the trigeminal nerve. Patients describe the pain as electric-shock-like, stabbing, sudden, and extremely intense, lasting seconds to two minutes and triggered by harmless stimuli such as touching the face, speaking, eating, shaving, washing or brushing the teeth.

Low Back Pain & Sciatica

From symptom to the right decision

Low back pain and sciatica are two distinct syndromes that often present together. Low back pain is axial pain centred between the lower ribs and gluteal folds, often mechanical and non-specific. Sciatica is leg-dominant pain from irritation or compression of a lumbosacral nerve root, most commonly L5 or S1, and may include sensory, motor or reflex changes. The first step in any consultation is deciding which syndrome you are treating.

Hydrocephalus

Fluid on the brain

Hydrocephalus is a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the brain's ventricles, placing pressure on the brain and interfering with normal function. It can affect anyone from unborn babies to older adults — it may develop suddenly and require urgent treatment, or progress gradually over months or years. And it is treatable.

Medical disclaimer: The information on these pages is for general educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individual medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your own doctor or specialist with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.