Specialist Details

Dr Rodney Stewart Allan

Dr Allan is a consultant neurosurgeon at the Sydney Adventist Hospital and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. He also has hospital appointments at North Shore Private and Dalcross Private hospitals. Dr Allan grew up in Sydney and his undergraduate education was at the University of New South Wales, obtaining his medical degree in 1994. Neurosurgical training followed, with time spent in Auckland, Sydney and Newcastle. Two of these years were spent at the prestigious Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, where he has now returned as a consultant Neurosurgeon.

In 2004 Dr Allan was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) in Neurosurgery. Dr Allan then spent 2 years living in London, Ontario, Canada to complete the Charles Drake Clinical Fellowship in Cerebrovascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy. This unique fellowship is named after a world-renowned Canadian neurosurgeon who pioneered treatment for what had been untreatable cerebral aneurysms on the basilar artery. Patients were referred from all over the world for treatment of difficult vascular (blood vessel) problems in the brain. The same centre also developed and headed the study that proved the benefit of Carotid Endarterectomy in preventing stroke.

Dr Allan is one of a limited number of neurosurgeons around the world who have advanced training in both microsurgical treatment of blood vessel abnormalities in the brain and also endovascular treatment of these disease processes. As a result, Dr Allan is uniquely able to offer an opinion as to the best treatment for a particular disease based on his experience of providing both treatments, and is able to assist his patients in making the best decision as to the type of treatment to pursue.

Whilst overseas, Dr Allan gained experience in surgical repair of aneurysms ("clipping"), excision of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), carotid endarterectomy and brain bypass surgery (EC-IC bypass). He completed extensive endovascular training including treatment of aneurysms ("coiling"), AVMs ("Onyx" and "glue"), carotid artery angioplasty and stenting, embolisation of tumours, vertebroplasty, intracranial angioplasty and stenting, and thrombolysis (for "brain attack" of stroke).

Dr Allan was also able to gain further experience in skull base surgery including treatment of complex tumours such as acoustic neuromas, as well as in epilepsy surgery and in surgery in vital areas of the brain, performed whilst the patient is awake ("awake craniotomy"). Minimal access spinal techniques and spinal arthroplasty had been pioneered in Canada, and Dr Allan was able to broaden his experience in these areas as well.

Since returning, Dr Allan has established a busy neurosurgical practice with rooms adjacent to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and at the San.

Interests and areas of expertise:

* Cerebral Aneurysms - microsurgical and endovascular repair ('clipping' and 'coiling')

* Brain Tumours - benign and malignant, including endoscopic approaches

* Trigeminal Neuralgia and Hemifacial Spasm

* Carotid Stenosis - carotid endarterectomy and stenting inc. for intracranial stenosis

* Spinal Neurosurgery - including minimal access approaches

* AVMs - Brain and Spine arteriovenous malformations and fistulae

* Pituitary Tumours

* General Neurosurgery

Dr Allan's research interests include:

- Use of vascular growth factors to prevent aneurysm regrowth

- New endovascular devices for occlusive and haemorrhagic cerebrovascular disease

- Stem cells in cerebral aneurysm treatment

- Novel treatments for hydrocephalus

- Clinical outcomes of spinal arthroplasty