What are the riskiest procedures?

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Yoyomama88

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Is it possible to specialize in cranial cases that don't routinely pose the risk of death or severe neurological deficits? I'm assuming vascular may have the worst outcomes and maybe complicated tumor cases?
 
This response is blunt but is not meant disrespectfully.

You have a half-dozen threads in this forum. Most of them seem to be seeking some sort of shortcut or "easy version" of neurosurgery ("Can you do your cases sitting down?" "Can you skip spine surgery?" "Can you only do surgeries that are low-risk?"" etc.). If you are asking these questions, odds are that neurosurgery is not for you. There is no shortcut, and most of us were drawn to neurosurgery because of the high stakes, not to avoid it. Every medical student should do a thorough self-assessment before picking a field. There would be no shame in saying "I am a person who is risk-averse, does not like spine care, and I do not enjoy spending a lot of my day on my feet." That describes many specialties, but it really does not describe neurosurgery in general. If your self-assessment sounds like that, you would do well to consider other career paths.
 
you might find yourself short of cases if you skip spine, cerebrovascular and intracranial tumours.

Neurosurgery is a need not a want
 
I dont mind standing on my feet or taking risks. But at the end of the day, even neurosurgeons are human, and as any person ages, I'm sure these can be issues regardless of his/her unwavering desire to do neurosurgery.

The spine surgery issue is separate however. I genuinely don't think it's interesting.
 
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