Curriculum for Fellowship in Neurosurgery (Brain and Spine)

 

Fellowship Program Overview

The Fellowship in Neurosurgery aims to train surgeons to become skilled Neurosurgeons capable of providing comprehensive care to patients with Brain and spine disorders. The program emphasizes both clinical expertise and research skills..

Objectives:

• To provide advanced training in Neurosurgery (Brain and Spine)
• To develop expertise in managing patients with Brain and spine disorders.

Curriculum Structure

The fellowship typically spans one year and is divided into several postings..

Clinical Postings:

• Neurotrauma ( Brain and Spine Trauma)
• Neurointensive care
• Neuroimaging
• Brain & Spine Clinics
• Neurosurgery Operation Theatre
• Neuro- rehabilitation

Curriculum :

• Traumatic brain injuries
  • Intensive trauma care
  • Decompressive craniectomy
  • ACF repair
  • Cranioplasty
• Traumatic spine injuries
  • Percutaneous pedicle screw fixation ( MISS)
  • Laminectomy and decompression
  • Minimally invasive fixations
• Stroke
• Vascular Neurosurgery
  • DSA
  • Coiling
  • Clipping
  • AVM management – Surgery/Embolisation/ SRS
• Brain tumours
  • IONM ( Intraoperative Neuro Monitoring)
  • Awake craniotomy
  • Neuro Navigation based biopsy
  • Meningioma surgery
  • Glioma surgeries
• Skull base surgeries
  • Transnasal Transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery
  • Extended skull base endoscopy
  • CP angle surgeries
  • Microvascular decompression
  • Supraorbital minicraniotomy procedures
  • ACF repair
  • Optic nerve decompression
• Spine tumours
  • IONM
• Degenerative spine disorders
  • ACDF
  • Anterior corpectomy and fusion
  • TLIF
  • Microdiscectomy( Tubular/ Endoscopic interlaminar)
  • Transforaminal endoscopic discectomy
  • UBE (Unilateral biportal endoscopic discectomy)
  • MISS
  • Percutaneous fixation with bone cement augmentation
  • Vertebroplasty / kyphoplasty
• Congenital spine disorders
  • Chiari malformations
  • Myelomeningocele
  • CV junction anomalies
  • Split cord malformation
• Hydrocephalus
  • Endoscopic 3rd ventriculostomy
  • VP shunt
  • Programmable shunt
  • other CSF diversion procedures
• Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery
  • Stereotactic biopsy
  • Deep Brain Stimulation
  • Epilepsy surgery
• Emergency bed side procedures
  • Intubation
  • Central line insertion
  • EVD
  • Tracheostomy
  • Twist drill
• Electrolyte disturbances
• Seizures
• Neural Rehabilitation and Neurophysiotherapy
• Neuro imaging
  • Brain and spine imaging
  • DSA
• Case-based discussions
• Journal Club

Teaching Methods :

• Lectures
• Case discussions
• Journal clubs
• Clinical rotations
• Hands-on training in procedures

Core Competencies

Fellows should acquire the following competencies :

• Comprehensive knowledge of neuro anatomy and neurophysiology, pathophysiology, and clinical manifestations of brain and spine disorders
• Skill in interpreting and explainig various Neuroimaging modalities
• Proficiency in the diagnosis and management of Traumatic Brain and Spine injuries.
• Expertise in diagnosing, evaluating and planning management of
  • Neurovascular disorders including aneurysms and AVMs.
  • Brain and spine tumours
• Exposure and assiting skills in
  • Endoscopic skull base procedures
  • endoscopic spine and MISS
  • Stereotaxy and Deep brain Stimulation
• Ability to perform and assist bed side procedures like intubation , central venous catherisation, EVD
• Diagnosis and management of Electrolyte disturbances
• Proficiency in Neurointensive Care
• Proficiency in Neurorehabilitation.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Evaluation

Fellows will be evaluated through a combination of :

• Clinical evaluations by attending Neurosurgeons/li>
• Log Book/li>
• Publications/li>

Additional Considerations

• Interprofessional Collaboration: Foster collaboration with other healthcare professionals (e.g., Neurointensive care team, Trauma team, neurology nurses, dieticians, social workers)/li>
• Quality Improvement: Encourage participation in quality improvement initiatives/li>
• Patient Education: Emphasize the importance of patient education and counselling/li>
• Ethics: Address ethical issues in Neurosurgery practice./li>
• Simulation-based Learning: Incorporate simulation for procedural skills and crisis management/li>

By following this curriculum and emphasizing core competencies, the fellowship program will produce well-rounded Neurosurgeons capable of providing excellent patient care and contributing to the field of Neurosurgery.

Course Coordinators

• Dr. Ipe V George (Senior Consultant - Neurosurgery)
• Dr. Shyam Balasubramanian (Senior Consultant - Neurosurgery)
• Dr. Jijo J Joseph (Consultant - Neurosurgery)
• Dr. Abdul Rahim Shaan (Consultant - Neurosurgery)

Eligibility : MCh/ DrNB (Neurosurgery), MS/DNB (General Surgery) with interest

Intake – October

Number of Seats : 2