Professor Dr. Bartolome Oliver is a leading neurosurgeon in Spain with over 40 years of practical experience. He is known for performing unique minimally invasive procedures on the brain and spinal cord. The doctor was one of the first in Spain to introduce fluorescent surgery for cerebral neoplasms. This method allows for the precise detection and removal of tumor cells with minimal risk of damage to healthy surrounding tissue. Bartolome Oliver was also the first in the country to perform transnasal (through the nose) resection of a brain tumor. This innovative endoscopic method has significantly reduced the trauma of removing certain cerebral neoplasms.

Application of innovative neurosurgical techniques

In his practice, the doctor actively uses advanced technologies – robotic surgical systems, stereotactic radiosurgery (Novalis, CyberKnife), intraoperative neuronavigation, and microsurgery under a microscope. Every year, Bartolome Oliver performs more than 200 complex operations to treat diseases such as CNS tumors, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and trigeminal neuralgia. He has been consulted by patients with very rare forms of tumors and genetic syndromes that manifest as neurological disorders and require a non-standard surgical approach. There were cases of giant tumor formations at the base of the skull that spread to several critical structures, and Dr. Oliver was able to remove them while preserving neurological functions.

Bartolome Oliver trained and learned from colleagues at leading neurosurgical centers in Europe and North America, which allowed him to introduce innovative treatment methods into Spanish medicine. In addition to his clinical work, he is actively involved in teaching, training young neurosurgeons in Spain and abroad. The doctor also gives presentations at conferences in different countries, contributing to the development of neurosurgery at the global level.

Performing unique neurosurgical operations

One example of Bartolome Oliver’s work was a repeat operation on a patient diagnosed with a grade II oligastrocytoma according to the WHO classification—a low-grade brain tumor. The neoplasm was compressing important areas of the brain, causing the man to have epileptic seizures, as well as problems with memory and thinking. Before consulting Dr. Oliver, the patient had already undergone surgery, but doctors considered complete removal of the tumor impossible due to its location and potential risks to vital brain functions.

Despite this, Dr. Oliver decided to perform a second operation. Using modern neuroimaging and intraoperative monitoring techniques, he was able to determine the boundaries of the tumor with maximum precision and safely remove approximately 90% of its volume. The postoperative residue was no more than 10%, which significantly reduced the risk of recurrence.

Diseases treated by Bartolome Oliver:

• brain tumors (meningioma, glioma, glioblastoma);
• skull base tumors (ependymomas, including those located in the posterior cranial fossa);
• epilepsy (severe forms that do not respond to drug therapy);
• Parkinson’s disease;
• spinal cord neoplasms;
• intervertebral hernias;
• OCD (surgical treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder) – a rare treatment option used only for severe cases that are resistant to pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy;
• trigeminal neuralgia;
• craniocervical instability.

Treatment methods used by Dr. Bartolome Oliver:

• microsurgical operations;
• endoscopic neurosurgical interventions;
• stereotactic radiosurgery (TrueBeam, CyberKnife, Novalis, Gamma Knife);
• deep brain stimulation (DBS);
• vagus nerve stimulation.

Technologies used by Bartolome Oliver:

• Robotic spine surgery;
• Surgery using intraoperative MRI and CT;
• Neuronavigation, intraoperative neurophysiology (monitoring of brain and nerve pathway functions during surgery);
• Fluorescent navigation for tumor removal.

• 1970–1976 – Medical degree, Faculty of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona;
• 1977–1980 – Residency in neurosurgery, National Neurosurgery Service, La Paz Hospital, Madrid;
• 1979 – Specialization in neurosurgery, Autonomous University of Barcelona and National Neurosurgery Service, Madrid;
• 1985 – Doctorate cum laude in medicine and surgery, National Neurosurgery Service, Madrid;
• 1986 – Defended doctoral thesis in neurosurgery, Autonomous University of Madrid.

• Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden;
• University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland;
• Montreal Neurological Institute, Canada;
• University of Washington and Saint Louis University, USA;
• University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, USA;
• Toronto, Phoenix, Cleveland, USA and Canada.

• 1990–1994 – worked as a senior consultant in the vascular surgery department at the University Clinic of São Paulo;
• 1978–1990 – became a neurosurgeon at the same clinic;
• 1987 – co-founded the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery;
• 1995 – co-founded the Functional Neurosurgery Foundation
• 1994-2002 – served as head of the neurosurgery department at the Hospital de São Paulo;
• Since 1994 – works as a coordinator and teaches at the Department of Neurosurgery, Teknon Medical Center;
• Since 1998 – is co-director of the Brain Tumor Center, Teknon;
• 2002–2012 – Head of the Neurosurgery Department at Mutua de Terrassa Hospital;
• Since 2005 – Head of the Neurosurgery Department at Teknon.

Dr. Bartolome Oliver has written more than 150 scientific articles that have been published in prestigious medical journals. He has given over 350 presentations at conferences and symposiums in various countries, covering topics in the fields of neurosurgery, neuro-oncology, and functional neurosurgery.

The topics of Dr. Bartolomé’s publications cover the following areas: microsurgery of CNS tumors, minimally invasive approaches, endoscopic skull base surgery, radiosurgery, and functional neurosurgical interventions.

In 1986, Bartolome Oliver defended his dissertation on neurosurgery. The topic of his work is related to microsurgical methods of treating cerebral tumors and functional neurosurgical techniques. Dr. Bartolomé’s thesis received a “cum laude” rating, which attests to the high scientific level of his research.

• Neurosurgery Society of Catalonia (since 2009 to present);
• European Society for Skull Base Surgery (2003–2005);
• American Academy of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (AA MISS);
• International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS);
• Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (SMISS);
• AOSPINE International Foundation, specializing in advanced technologies in the field of spinal surgery;
• active participant in international conferences and expert commissions in the field of neurosurgery and neuro-oncology.