Interactive Neurosurgical Guide for Health Teaching
Educational Resources for Patients & Families
INSIGHT is a library of interactive, expert-authored guides created by expert Brown Neurosurgery faculty and team members. Each module explains a condition, procedure, or treatment in-depth with animations, visualizations, and plain language designed to help patients and families make informed decisions.
This resource is also intended to de-mystify neurosurgical care for referring and collaborating clinicians, and to serve as a useful reference for students and trainees.
Functional and Epilepsy Neurosurgery
4 guides available
Functional & Epilepsy
Epilepsy Surgery
Drug-resistant epilepsy, surgical evaluation, treatment options, and what to expect.
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Functional & Epilepsy
Deep Brain Stimulation
How DBS works for Parkinson's Disease and who might be good candidates for DBS.
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Functional & Epilepsy
Focused Ultrasound
Incisionless treatment for essential tremor and Parkinson's Disease using ultrasound energy.
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Functional & Epilepsy
OCD Surgery
Surgical options for severe, treatment-resistant OCD, including deep brain stimulation and ablative procedures.
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Brain Tumor and Skull Base Surgery
Coming soon
Coming Soon
Brain Tumor & Skull Base
Glioma
Types of glioma, craniotomy surgery, awake craniotomy, and what to expect from treatment.
Temporary link (draft) →
Coming Soon
Brain Tumor & Skull Base
Skull Base Tumors & Meningiomas
Meningiomas and other skull base lesions: minimally invasive surgical approaches.
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Brain Tumor & Skull Base
Pituitary Tumors
Pituitary adenomas: vision changes, hormonal effects, and minimally invasive surgical treatment.
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Brain Tumor & Skull Base
Acoustic (Vestibular) Schwannoma
Hearing loss, tinnitus, and imbalance from this benign nerve tumor, and surgical or radiosurgical treatment.
Coming Soon
Brain Tumor & Skull Base
Metastatic Brain Tumors
Brain metastases from cancer elsewhere in the body: evaluation and surgical treatment options.
Spine and Spine Tumor Surgery
Coming soon
Coming Soon
Spine & Spine Tumor
Cervical Disc Disease & Myelopathy
Neck pain, arm weakness, and spinal cord compression: when surgery helps and what it involves.
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Spine & Spine Tumor
Lumbar Stenosis & Disc Herniation
Low back pain and leg symptoms: causes, conservative care, minimally-invasive surgical options.
Coming Soon
Spine & Spine Tumor
Chordoma
A rare, slow-growing tumor of the spine and sacrum: symptoms, evaluation, and surgical treatment.
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Spine & Spine Tumor
Metastatic Spine Tumors
Cancer that has spread to the spine: back pain, cord compression, and surgical treatment options.
Vascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery
Coming soon
Coming Soon
Vascular & Endovascular
Brain Aneurysms
What brain aneurysms are, rupture risk, surgical clipping, and endovascular coiling.
Coming Soon
Vascular & Endovascular
Arteriovenous Malformations
AVMs of the brain: risks, treatment options including surgery, radiosurgery, and embolization.
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Vascular & Endovascular
Cavernous Malformations
Cavernomas of the brain: bleeding risk, seizures, and when surgical removal is recommended.
Coming Soon
Vascular & Endovascular
Carotid Stenosis
Narrowing of the neck's carotid artery, stroke and TIA risk, and surgical or stenting treatment.
Pediatric and Developmental Neurosurgery
Coming soon
Coming Soon
Pediatric & Developmental
Hydrocephalus in Children
Causes, symptoms, shunt surgery, and endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) in pediatric patients.
Coming Soon
Pediatric & Developmental
Tethered Cord Syndrome
Causes, symptoms, and surgical release for tethered spinal cord in children and adults.
Coming Soon
Pediatric & Developmental
Myelomeningocele and Fetal Neurosurgery
Open neural tube defects, prenatal (fetal) repair, and postnatal surgical management.
Coming Soon
Pediatric & Developmental
Chiari Malformation
Brain tissue extending into the spinal canal: symptoms, evaluation, and surgical decompression.
Temporary link (draft) →
Pain Neurosurgery
Coming soon
Coming Soon
Pain
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Severe facial pain from nerve compression: microvascular decompression and radiosurgery options.
Coming Soon
Pain
Spinal Cord Stimulation
Implanted devices that modulate pain signals for chronic back, leg, or neuropathic pain.
Hydrocephalus
Coming soon
Coming Soon
Hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus & Shunt Surgery
Causes of abnormal CSF buildup, VP shunt surgery, endoscopic third ventriculostomy, and monitoring.
Coming Soon
Hydrocephalus
Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
NPH symptoms — gait, memory, and bladder changes — and how shunting can restore function.
Peripheral Nerve Surgery
Coming soon
Coming Soon
Peripheral Nerve
Carpal Tunnel
Median nerve compression at the wrist: non-operative management and surgical release procedures.
Coming Soon
Peripheral Nerve
Brachial Plexus Injuries
Nerve injuries affecting arm and hand function: repair strategies, grafting, and nerve transfers.
Coming Soon
Peripheral Nerve
Occipital Neuralgia
Sharp, shooting pain at the back of the head and scalp: nerve blocks, and surgical treatment options.
Coming Soon
Peripheral Nerve
Meralgia Paresthetica & Other Nerve Entrapments
Numbness and burning from thigh, elbow, and other peripheral nerve entrapments beyond the wrist.
