Programs & Services
Trauma & Neurosurgery

St. Michael's Hospital is the designated downtown Toronto trauma centre
for adults and is one of 12 lead trauma hospitals in Ontario. Our Cara
Phelan Centre for Trauma Research conducts leading-edge research on
trauma prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, with an emphasis on
head injury. Seventy per cent of our trauma patients have suffered
some type of head injury, and neurosurgical intervention is required
in the most severe cases. The Hospital's neurosurgical unit, one of
the largest in Canada, specializes in traumatic brain injury and neurooncology
(treatment of brain tumours).
The Trauma & Neurosurgery program includes:
- Trauma team equipped to deal with multiple trauma injuries in
adults.
- Multidisciplinary approach with professionals from diverse areas
of expertise working together to provide patient-centred care.
- Head injury clinic provides rehabilitation follow-up after discharge.
- Trauma prevention programs.
- State-of-the-art traumatic brain injury research laboratory, researching
improved treatment options from mild concussion to major injury.
- Clinical trials unit to compare different treatment/rehabilitation
options.
Neurosurgery Areas of Specialty
- Brain injury due to trauma.
- Cancer that has spread to the spine.
- Ear tumours.
- Photodynamic therapy (treatment of tumours using lasers).
- Pituitary tumours.
- Tumours located at the base of the skull (previously considered
inoperable).
- Vascular neurosurgery, aneurysms and facial nerve conditions.