Consultant neurosurgeon specialising in brain, skull base and spine surgery. Evidence-based assessment and decisions shared with every patient.
La Princesa University Hospital · Sanitas Valdebebas University Hospital · Madrid
Every surgical decision should rest on the best available evidence and on your circumstances. I explain every option rigorously, including not operating, and we decide together.
Dr Ricardo Gil Simões. Neurosurgeon at La Princesa University Hospital and Sanitas Valdebebas University Hospital, Madrid. Speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Tap any of the glowing points along the axis, from head to sacrum, or choose an area from the list.
Brain tumours have been a central part of my work for more than ten years at La Princesa University Hospital. I treat gliomas, including glioblastoma, meningiomas and metastases, always in coordination with neuro-oncology, radiotherapy and neuroradiology. In theatre I use neuronavigation, fluorescence guidance and neurophysiological monitoring to remove as much tumour as safely possible while protecting brain function. I also research new electric-field therapies for glioblastoma. If you have been diagnosed with a brain tumour, I will explain your options calmly and what the evidence says for your case.
Glioblastoma and other gliomas, meningiomas and brain metastases. Surgery guided by neuronavigation and fluorescence, with neurophysiological monitoring.
The skull base is one of the most delicate areas of the nervous system: cranial nerves, major arteries and the visual pathway lie millimetres apart. I treat craniopharyngiomas, skull base meningiomas, acoustic neuromas, sellar lesions and cerebrospinal fluid leaks, using microsurgery and endoscopic endonasal approaches. I have published on craniopharyngiomas, including work recognised with the Sixto Obrador Award. If you have a skull base lesion, we will review the images together and weigh every alternative, including observation when that is the most prudent course.
Craniopharyngiomas, skull base meningiomas, acoustic neuromas and sellar lesions. Microsurgical and endoscopic endonasal approaches.
In the neck, the key is to tell apart pain that improves with conservative treatment from compression of the spinal cord, which should not be left to progress. I treat cervical disc herniation, spinal stenosis and myelopathy, as well as fractures and tumours. Depending on the case, surgery is performed from the front, with fusion or disc replacement, or from the back. If you notice tingling or clumsiness in your hands, unsteadiness when walking or pain running down your arm, it is worth an assessment.
Cervical disc herniation, spinal stenosis and myelopathy, spinal fractures and tumours.
Thoracic spine conditions are less common but demand experience: thoracic disc herniations, often calcified, stenosis, vertebral fractures and spinal tumours. In these operations, image-based planning and neuronavigation add safety. If you have mid-back pain radiating like a belt, or leg symptoms without a clear lumbar cause, it may be worth investigating.
Thoracic disc herniation, thoracic stenosis and myelopathy, vertebral fractures and spinal tumours.
Most sciatica does not need surgery, and if that is your case I will tell you. When surgery is indicated, I use minimally invasive, endoscopic and navigated techniques: microdiscectomy for disc herniation, decompression without fusion whenever possible, and fusion only when there is genuine instability. Before deciding, we review your scans, how long you have had symptoms and how much the pain limits you.
Disc herniation, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis and instability. Minimally invasive, endoscopic and navigated surgery — and an honest assessment of when surgery is not needed.
Read the evidence (article in Spanish): Lumbar disc herniation: when is surgery needed?
As Head of Medical of the European Football Alliance, I write the league's concussion and return-to-play protocols. I apply the same standards to amateur and professional athletes: concussion, head injury and spinal injury. I assess when it is safe to return to training and competition, working with each athlete's sports physician and physiotherapist.
Concussion, head injury and spinal injury in amateur and professional athletes, and a safe return to play.
Read the evidence (article in Spanish): Concussion: what to do in the first 48 hours
I also treat adult hydrocephalus, traumatic brain injury and cranial neuralgias.
Clinical assessment
History, neurological examination and a detailed review of your imaging, in clinic or by video.
Review of the evidence
What studies show in comparable cases, and with what level of certainty.
Treatment options
Conservative care, minimally invasive techniques or surgery, with the benefits and risks of each.
Shared decision
We choose the treatment together. If surgery is not indicated, I will say so clearly.
Sanitas Valdebebas University Hospital (Calle de Gustavo Pérez Puig 66, Madrid). Examination, further tests and, when indicated, surgical treatment.
Book an in-person visitSuited to second opinions when imaging is already available, to patients living outside Madrid or abroad, and to athletes. If your case requires an in-person examination or surgery, a visit is arranged in Valdebebas.
Request a video consultation| Orientation video consultation (30 min) | €120 |
|---|---|
| Second opinion with written report | from €350 |
| Return-to-play programme | from €500 |
| Clubs and federations | on request |
Private fees. Patients insured with Sanitas can also be seen by video or phone through their insurance.
Please do not send reports or clinical data by email or forms: once your appointment is booked, we will share a secure channel.
More than ten years as a consultant neurosurgeon. Trained at La Princesa University Hospital, where I now hold a permanent post, with a clinical fellowship at Southmead Hospital (Bristol) and an observership at UPMC (Pittsburgh). My practice covers neuro-oncological surgery, the skull base and complex spine, alongside residency training.
| Year | What | Where | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | European Football Alliance | Medical regulations and concussion protocol | Head of Medical |
| 2026 | Precision medicine in glioblastoma | Universidad Autónoma de Madrid | PhD candidate |
| 2026 | Piezoelectric surgery | Mectron | Course faculty |
| Ongoing | DITTCe: implantable electric-field device | Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation · ETSI Industriales (UPM) | Investigator |
| Several years | Cadaver surgery for residents · AI and neurosurgery | Universidad Autónoma de Madrid | Faculty |
| Since 2015 | Neurosurgery residency training | La Princesa University Hospital | Tutor |
| 2013 | Three-axis topographical model for craniopharyngiomas | Spanish Society of Neurosurgery | Sixto Obrador Award |
Articles are currently available in Spanish.
Understand your diagnosis · Peul 2007 · Bailey 2020
Two New England Journal of Medicine trials on surgery versus waiting. For recent sciatica, most people are equally well at one year; when it lasts months, surgery relieved pain more.
Read the article (in Spanish)Spine and sport · Amsterdam consensus 2022
How to recognise it, why the athlete leaves the game, relative rest, light activity and a graded return, according to the Amsterdam international consensus.
Read the article (in Spanish)Evidence-based content on brain health, with its level of certainty and without promises. First article (in Spanish): creatine and the brain: what we know about memory and dementia.
See the sectionFor doctors · Surgical content
Annotated surgical technique for healthcare professionals. These are images of real surgery: the videos only play if you select them.
If you are a doctor and would like to refer a patient or discuss a case, you can contact me directly.
