Mr Scott Rutherford

Mr Scott Rutherford was appointed as a Consultant Neurosurgeon at Salford Royal Hospital in 2006. His undergraduate medical training was at the University of Cape Town where he received an MBChB with Honours in 1994. Mr Rutherford then moved to the UK in 1995 to continue his medical training. He completed his basic surgical training in Leeds, followed by neurosurgical training in Leeds and Manchester. He undertook a one-year specialist fellowship in skull base surgery in 2005, which provided the skills for him to sub specialise in this area. Mr Rutherford's subspecialty interest of skull base surgery principally involves the management of benign tumours occurring at the base of the brain such as vestibular schwannomas (acoustic neuromas) and meningiomas. Management of such potentially complex problems should always involve a multi-disciplinary team, and Mr Rutherford is the lead clinician of the Skull Base Multidisciplinary Team at Salford Royal Hospital. Under his leadership this team has grown into the largest in the UK, and prides itself on patient-centred care along with world-class surgical results. The microsurgical skills used for skull base surgery can also be applied to the surgical treatment of other conditions such as trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm. The surgery entails the separation of blood vessels from the involved nerve, and is usually a cure for the condition.  The other large part of Mr Rutherford's practice is degenerative spinal disease, and he treats both cervical and lumbar spinal problems. Surgery is often not indicated for this group of patients, but he can recommend appropriate less invasive treatments. For those undergoing surgery, his surgical outcomes are excellent with very high patient satisfaction rates. Other neurosurgical conditions that he treats include benign spinal tumours, other benign cranial tumours, hydrocephalus and peripheral nerve entrapment syndromes. Mr Rutherford has numerous publications arising from clinical research that he has carried out. He has also given invited presentations at national and international conferences on a wide variety of neurosurgical topics. As part of leading the skull base unit in Manchester, Mr Rutherford runs an internationally acclaimed sub-specialty training fellowship, which attracts training fellows from across the world. Find out more about Mr Rutherford, the conditions that he treats and the results he achieves at www.brainandspineclinic.com.

Skull base surgery Vestibular schwannomas (acoustic neuromas) Trigeminal neuralgia Meningiomas Hemifacial spasm Neurofibromatosis Type 2 Degenerative spinal conditions Lumbar disc disorders Cervical disc disorders.