Is neurosurgery shrinking?

[Ttan]

There seems to me to be a tide of innovations slowly threatening to make putting the word "neuro" and the word "surgeon" together obsolete, for a bulk of their procedures.

What is your opinion? Obviously its doubtful that the entire profession could dry up anytime soon, but do you think manpower required in neurosurgery will decrease over time?

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[mpp]

Innovations are only opening up even more procedures to do. However, the future neurosurgeon should also be willing to use endovascular, endoscopic, and minimally invasive techniques all of which are part of any decent training program.

 

[Gozar]

neurosurgeons operate on a wide variety of tissues. i have been told that the "golden age" of neurosurgery has come to a close. this means that big time huge back surgeries with multiple fusion levels lasting many hours are getting slowly eliminated. however, neurosurgery is filled with highly motivated individuals that are always looking to move into new areas and expand the field. there are some fields of surgery that are in definitive decline - CT surgery (although apparently staging a comeback with baby boomers) and traditional general surgery (as it is drawn and quartered into sub-specialties). neurosurgery is usually not included in this list.

 

[dmniarb]

neurosurgeons operate on a wide variety of tissues. i have been told that the "golden age" of neurosurgery has come to a close. this means that big time huge back surgeries with multiple fusion levels lasting many hours are getting slowly eliminated. however, neurosurgery is filled with highly motivated individuals that are always looking to move into new areas and expand the field. there are some fields of surgery that are in definitive decline - CT surgery (although apparently staging a comeback with baby boomers) and traditional general surgery (as it is drawn and quartered into sub-specialties). neurosurgery is usually not included in this list.

So what's the new innovation that will replace Smith-Petersen osteotomies, pedicle screws, etc for patient's with severe kyphotic deformities? It seems that as technology advances, it also provides more ways for neurosurgeons tackle problems. Even the so-called minimally invasive spine surgeries still take us hours to complete. I think we still have a ways to go before much of the specialty becomes obsolete.