Mr Richard Edwards

Mr Richard Edwards is an esteemed Consultant Paediatric and Adult Neurosurgeon. He has international expertise in the neurosurgical removal of tumours in and around the brainstem, pineal gland (including pineal cysts) and spinal cord. He has a particular interest in ependymoma tumour surgery. He is able to provide second opinions (both face to face and online) on brain tumours in both children and adults and whether they can be potentially treated with surgery.

He has expertise in the surgical treatment of spasticity in cerebral palsy and has the largest experience in the UK of the operation Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) with a patient's journey appearing on the ITV primetime show "What Would Be Your Miracle?". He has helped set up SDR programs in Russia and Hungary and has treated children with cerebral palsy from around the world. He is part of the NHS England National Steering Group for SDR and has published research papers in the field as part of an ongoing research program.

Mr Edwards also has extensive experience in the assessement and management of hydrocephalus in both adults and children. He runs the largest adult hydrocephalus service in the UK and is the current Chairman of the UK CSF Disorders Group. He is also a member of the Adult Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network (based in the USA) which runs an extensive research program in this field. He is happy to provide second opinions on complex hydrocephalus disorders or suspected Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH), colloid cysts and idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). He is an expert in the field of Neuroendoscopic treatment of hydrocpehalus and lectures internationally in this field.

Mr Edwards set up the daycase microdiscectomy service in Bristol in 2006 and was one of the first surgeons to pioneer daycase surgery for slipped discs (lumbar microdiscectomy) in the UK. He also treats children with complex deformity affecting the upper part of the spinal column (the craniocervical junction) and manages adults and children with spina bifida and tethered cord syndrome.

In his NHS paediatric neurosurgery practice he currently chairs the regional paediatric neurovascular MDT and has expertise in the surgical treatment paediatric AVM (arteriovenous malformation), cavernoma and Moya Moya disease.

He is currently practising privately at Circle Bath, a clinic that is easily accessible for patients in the South West. Complex cases are undertaken either at Southmead Hospital (Adults) or Bristol Royal Hospital for Children (Children) where world class neurosurgical facilities are available including intra-operative MRI imaging, robot assisted neuroendoscopic surgery and intra-operative brainstem and spinal cord monitoring.

• CSF Shunts for Hydrocephalus
• Brain tumour surgery
• Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy
• Brainstem and posterior fossa tumour surgery
• Pineal tumour surgery
• Spinal cord tumour surgery
• Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy for Cerebral Palsy
• Intrathecal Baclofen Pump implantation
• Paediatric Moya Moya disease surgery
• Paediatric AVM surgery
• Paediatric cranio-cervical junction surgery
• Day case lumbar microdiscectomy
• Lumbar microdiscectomy
• Lumbar decompression surgery
• Revision microdiscectomy surgery

• Management of Brain tumours in adults and children
• Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
• Surgery for spasticity in cerebral palsy
• Surgery for paediatric brain and spine vascular disorders
• Surgery for spinal dysraphism (tethered spinal cord, spina bifida)
• Hydrocephalus
• Sports related concussion in children
• Head injury
• Management of back pain
• Spinal microdiscectomy
• Spinal neurosurgery