The Department of Neurosurgery at Mayo Clinic is one of the largest in the United States. Each year, the entire spectrum of neurosurgical conditions and disease is treated essentially at one site, which ensures an unparalleled training experience.

Many cases are "straightforward" neurosurgical problems, which include brain tumors, cerebral aneurysms, and spinal disease. This allows neurosurgical fellows to become skilled in the management of typical neurosurgical problems. However, there are also many complex cases that are referred to Mayo neurologists and neurosurgeons for evaluation and treatment. These difficult cases often require a multidisciplinary team approach to patient care, which broadens the educational opportunities for fellows.

The average neurosurgical caseload at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester is approximately 4,600 major operations a year, which includes:

• 860 operations for brain tumor
• 175 operations for trauma
• 325 operations for vascular diseases (aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation [AVM], carotid, bypass)
• 175 transsphenoidal operations
• 400 operations for functional disorders (epilepsy, movement, pain)
• 325 peripheral nerve procedures
• 150 endovascular procedures
• 1,350 spinal procedures, including 140 for intraspinal tumor and 350 cases of complex spinal disease involving instrumentation
• Average chief resident operative caseload is approximately 450 operations a year

The cumulative case volume at Mayo Clinic's campuses in Florida and Arizona available for training is approximately 3,500 cases.

Faculty

In addition to caring for patients in their clinical practices, Mayo Clinic's 21 faculty members are committed to teaching and facilitating the fellow's development as a neurosurgeon. Many of the department faculty have published and lectured extensively and are well-regarded for their specialty and subspecialty expertise.

Visiting professors

Many prominent neurosurgeons visit Mayo Clinic each year. This includes the Morton Spinner, M.D., Visiting Professor in Peripheral Nerve Surgery series. They present their work at scheduled conferences or morning lectures and participate in hospital rounds. These visits are scheduled to include time for informal interaction between the visitor and residents and fellows.