Neuroscience

Oncological and regenerative neurosurgery

team-item

Head physician

Pietro Mortini

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The Neurosurgery Department provides comprehensive services for the diagnosis, treatment and surgical management of the main conditions affecting the central and peripheral nervous system (including brain and spinal cord). The Department is an internationally-recognized centre for skull base tumors treatment (pituitary adenomas, meningiomas, chordomas) performing microsurgery as well as Gamma Knife Stereotactic Radiosurgery. The multidisciplinary team composed by neurosurgeons, endocrinologists, neuroradiologists, neuro-ophthalmologists, maxillofacial surgeons and radiotherapists ensure the best and up-to-date approach to these pathologies.

Research activity

In the research field the team is mainly focusing on neuro-endocrinological disorders; introduction of new surgical techniques for skull-base surgery; use of highly advanced technologies as functional MRI; use of neuro-navigator and cortical stimulator, 3 tesla MRI and deep brain stimulation. Basic research on the neurooncology field is studying the molecular characterization of cancer-stem-cells in human glioblastoma. Another topic of research is genomics and molecular biology on brain tumors (in cooperation with the Max Planck Institut). The Unit has recently started a project for the set-up of a tissue biobank of brain tumors.