What is the difference between a neurologist and a neurosurgeon?

A neurologist diagnosis and treats diseases of the nervous system by taking an accurate history and performing a detailed neurological examination. Often tools such as the electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyogram (EMG) are used to aid in the diagnosis. He or she may see disease entities that range from seizure disorders to degenerative diseases of the brain and spinal cord. If it can be treated medically, the neurologist is in a position to provide the proper treatment and care for the patient.

A neurosurgeon (also referred to as a neurological surgeon) uses the tools of the operating room to correct lesions of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system (nerves of the head, neck, body and extremities). There are some disease states that are not cured or halted by surgical intervention, just as there are many disease processes that the neurologist cannot treat and can only provide palliative support.

However, the tried and true adages ring true in surgery: A chance to cut is a chance to cure.

Simply put, "Heal with steel."

Below, is an excerpt from the ABNS (American Board of Neurological Surgery) which describes the duties of a neurological surgeon:

John L Turner, MD

is certified by the following ABNS^® Member Board:

The American Board of Neurological Surgery

Specialty Certification

Neurological Surgery

A neurological surgeon provides the operative and non-operative management (i.e., prevention, diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, critical care, and rehabilitation) of disorders of the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their supporting structures and vascular supply; the evaluation and treatment of pathological processes which modify function or activity of the nervous system; and the operative and non-operative management of pain. A neurological surgeon treats patients with disorders of the nervous system; disorders of the brain, meninges, skull, and their blood supply, including the extracranial carotid and vertebral arteries; disorders of the pituitary gland; disorders of the spinal cord, meninges, and vertebral column, including those which may require treatment by spinal fusion or instrumentation; and disorders of the cranial and spinal nerves throughout their distribution.

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