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| Neurosurgeons treat conditions caused by accident or injury, as well as illness. |
Diseases, injuries and disorders of the brain and nervous system are
some of the most wide-ranging and difficult to treat in all of medicine.
Neurological conditions can impair learning or mental function, affect
balance and mobility, alter a patient's personality or cause
debilitating, long-term pain. These conditions are treated by physicians
in two closely related specialties, neurology and neurosurgery.
Neurologists
Neurologists
specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases or conditions
occurring in the brain and nervous system, as well as their supporting
systems and tissues. Some focus on neurophysiology, using diagnostic
tests such as electroencephalograms and electromyography to detect
neurological conditions. Others specialize in the treatment of
neurodevelopmental disorders, attempting to manage cerebral palsy,
learning disabilities and similar chronic conditions. Neurologists might
also specialize in pain management, treating patients with debilitating
chronic pain or acute short-term pain. Vascular neurologists study and
treat conditions of the circulatory system that affect the function of
the brain or nerves.
Neurosurgeons
Neurosurgeons
use a variety of therapies, from endoscopic microsurgery to radiation
to traditional open surgery, to treat neurological conditions. These
include traumas of the brain and spine, tumors, strokes and aneurysms,
and many other conditions of the spine, brain and skull base areas.
These are complex areas of practice, and neurosurgeons' work often
overlaps with that of neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, and plastic or
reconstructive surgeons. Often, several of these practitioners will work
collaboratively with a single patient to ensure a successful outcome in
complex procedures.
Similarities and Differences
Neurosurgery
is closely aligned with neurology, and both require an in-depth
understanding of the nervous system and its functions. Conditions that
require management, or can be improved by medications or other
therapies, are generally treated by neurologists. Neurologists are also
more likely to act as diagnosticians, isolating and defining
neurological conditions for neurosurgeons to rectify. When diagnosis
reveals a physical cause for neurological conditions, neurosurgeons can
usually perform a surgical procedure to remove or correct that
condition, often bringing about a dramatic improvement in the patient's
condition. Both neurologists and neurosurgeons can use minimally
invasive endoscopic or catheter-based procedures, using miniature
instruments to repair or reinforce blood vessels in the brain.
Income
One
key difference between neurology and neurological surgery is income.
Neurosurgeons out-earn their neurologist peers by a substantial margin,
beginning in their first year of practice. Medical recruiting firm
Profiles, which specializes in new physicians, reports a median
first-year income of $190,000 for neurologists, while neurosurgeons
starting practice earned a median income of $395,000 a year. Across all
career stages, the American Medical Group Association reported a median
income of $236,500 for neurologists and $592,811 per year for
neurosurgeons. Staffing firm Jackson and Coker found an even broader
disparity, reporting an average salary of $209,394 for neurologists but
$671,086 per year for neurological surgeons.
