Dr Adam Wells
  (08) 7127 2359

For many people, attending a Neurosurgical consultation can feel intimidating. Patients are often anxious about their symptoms, worried about what their scan might show, or fearful that surgery may be recommended immediately. In reality, most Neurosurgical consultations are simply about understanding your diagnosis more clearly, and discussing management options in a calm, structured and professional way. A Neurosurgical consultation generally begins with a short social and g

Few spinal conditions create as much anxiety as being told you have a “disc prolapse” or a “slipped disc”. Many patients understandably imagine that surgery will inevitably be required, particularly if the pain is severe. Fortunately, that is usually not the case. A lumbar disc prolapse occurs when part of the intervertebral disc protrudes backwards and irritates or compresses one or more of the spinal nerves. This commonly causes sciatica — pain radiating down the leg — and

Back pain and neck pain are extremely common problems, and many people are worried that surgery may ultimately be required. One of the most frequent things I hear from patients at their first consultation is: “I really don’t want an operation”. The good news is that the majority of spinal conditions do not require surgery at all, and many patients improve with time, physiotherapy, activity modification, or other conservative treatments. So when is spinal surgery actually nece

It’s something that I hear frequently: “I’m too old to have an operation!” But is this statement really true? How old is too old for...

You may have noticed that many surgeons use the title “Mr” rather than “Dr”, even though all surgeons are qualified medical doctors with...

For Neurosurgery Awareness Month, Dr Adam Wells sat down with us to share his story and what it’s like being a Neurosurgeon. When did you...

It is generally accepted that you have to wait a long time to see a medical specialist. At the very least it can take many weeks or even...

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a Neurologist and a Neurosurgeon? It’s a question that I’m asked frequently,...

Traumatic brain injury, or TBI for short, is one of the leading causes of death and disability, with TBI especially affecting the younger...

1. The first step is diagnosis. A brain tumour diagnosis is generally made with a brain scan, usually a CT scan initially and followed...

Figure 1: Sagittal MRI scan demonstrating a pre-operative Chiari malformation with cervical syrinx (left), and the same patient 6 months post-operatively demonstrating resolution of the Chiari malformation as well as almost complete resolution of the syrinx (right). The foramen magnum is represented by the dashed red line. Before surgery the patient’s cerebellar tonsils extended 13mm below the foramen magnum (double arrow-head white line), and the tonsils ‘plug’ the craniocer

As we age we develop ‘wear and tear’ changes throughout our bodies, and the spine is no exception. In fact, degenerative change in the...

In the second part of this series, we look at the benign brain tumour known as meningioma as a reversible cause of dementia. Meningiomas...

There are many causes of dementia, however two specific Neurosurgical conditions are reversible with surgical intervention. In the first of this series, we look at the condition called Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH). Although not very common, NPH is a reversible cause of dementia. The classical clinical presentation for NPH is the triad of symptoms: dementia, gait ataxia (difficulty walking and mobilising), and urinary incontinence. Sometimes patients only exhibit some o

In a world first, Dr Adam Wells from the University of Adelaide and the Royal Adelaide Hospital has conducted "brain surgery" on a 3D printed brain modelled on US President Barack Obama. In a move that could revolutionise surgical training, innovative South Australian company Fusetec has developed lifelike 3D printed models of various anatomical regions, allowing surgeons to sharpen their skills in accurate recreations of the real thing. The new technology is a breakthrough i