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Neurosurgical department faculty:
John Koivukangas,
M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Head
Timo Kumpulainen, M.D., Ph.D., Docent, Chief Physician
Esa Heikkinen, M.D., Ph.D., Docent, Professor
Tatu Koskelainen, M.D.
Juho Tuominen, M.D.
Anna-Leena Heula, M.D.
Sami Tetri, M.D., Ph.D.
Niina Salokorpi, M.D.
Mikko Kauppinen, M.D.
Johanna Kuhmonen, M.D.
Jani Katisko, Medical Physicist, Ph.D.
Sanna Yrjänä, Medical Physicist, Ph.D.
Sari Kukkamaa, Psychologist, M.Psych.Sc.
Neurosurgical residents:
Maija Lahtinen, M.D.
Clinical internships: 2
International fellowships available by arrangement.
Clinical Associates:
Riitta Herva, neuropathology
Seppo Rytky, clinical neurophysiology
Kyösti Laitakari, ENT surgery
Antti Raappana, ENT surgery
Hanna Ansakorpi, neurology
Virpi Moilanen, neurology
Asko Niemelä, general hospital psychiatry
Pirkka Mäkelä, orthopedic spine surgery
Ari Karttunen, neuroradiology
Topi Siniluoto, endovascular procedures
Willy Serlo, pediatric surgery
Maija Liisa Romppainen, oncology
The Oulu Clinic for Neurosurgery provides comprehensive modern tertiary health care. It
serves the regional neurosurgical needs of the northern half of Finland with an immediate
catchment cohort of about 750,000 inhabitants. At the same time, it offers highly
specialized care nationally and internationally for the following diseases:
Parkinson´s disease: stereotactic treatment of tremor
Low-grade gliomas: image-guided surgery for tumors in critical brain areas
Epilepsy: deep brain stimulation, vagus stimulation and lesional surgery
Degenerative spinal disease: advanced surgery and instrumentation of
spinal diseases and mini-invasive lumbar herniation surgery
Pain: Neuromodulation therapy
The Clinic has been one of the leading research centers in the world for clinical
application of real-time intraoperative ultrasound imaging, neuronavigation, and most
recently, intraoperative MRI and intraoperative CT. The Clinic has a long tradition as a national center for
functional neurosurgery (Parkinson´s disease, epilepsy and pain).
Key quality statements:
Benchmarking of patient satisfaction against a STAKES (National Research
and Development Centre for Welfare and Health) study of surgical clinics in Finland showed
favorable results for the Oulu Clinic of Neurosurgery, especially in the appraisal of
physician and nurse professional skills. The Clinic charges and fees are minimized using
Activity-based costing (ABC). Finally, the Clinic is a leader in outcomes assessment
research.
Key quality indicators:
The overall rate of surgical infection for elective surgery is under 2%.
Ethical statement:
The Oulu Clinic for Neurosurgery is committed to the proposition that each
individual is entitled to the best possible health care, and that alternative methods of
treatment need to be scientifically assessed before social priority setting. Thus,
clinical service is based on clinical excellence, with a commitment to evidence-based
medicine. In research, the Clinic follows the guidelines of the Ethical Committee of the
University of Oulu.
Patient Care:
The Neurosurgical Ward has 26 beds, including intensive observation unit
Intensive Care Unit
Pediatric hospital service
Outpatient service
Neurosurgical operating rooms (2)
Teleconsultation service
The neurosurgical operating rooms:
There is a stress on surgical expertise assisted by cutting edge technology, much of it originally developed or applied at the Department: