Mr Nikolaos Tzerakis

Mr Nikolaos Tzerakis is an expert witness and Consultant Neurosurgeon and Spinal Surgeon with a specialist interest in spinal and neurovascular pathology at University Hospital of North Staffordshire, University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, where he has held a substantive consultant post since 2012. He specialises in general neurosurgery and spinal surgery, with particular expertise in spinal decompression, microdiscectomy, spinal fusion, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, spinal trauma, cauda equina syndrome, spinal tumours, hydrocephalus, trigeminal neuralgia, Chiari malformation and neurovascular conditions including brain aneurysms.

Mr Tzerakis has practised as a consultant neurosurgeon since 2009 and has extensive experience managing complex cranial and spinal pathology across emergency, elective and tertiary referral settings. His current practice includes outpatient assessment, multidisciplinary spinal case review, ward-based care and regular operating lists, with a focus on degenerative spinal disease, traumatic spinal injury, tumour-related spinal pathology and complex neurosurgical conditions. He has participated in more than 4,000 cranial and spinal operations and has served as Clinical Lead in Neurosurgery at Royal Stoke Hospital since 2015.

Mr Nikolaos Tzerakis has been undertaking medico legal work since 2013 and accepts instructions in clinical negligence and personal injury matters, with experience acting for both claimants and defendants. He is also able to accept instructions in Legal Aid, industrial disease, family and abuse, forensic and criminal, and fitness to practise cases.

His medico legal practice includes screening reports, breach of duty, causation, breach and causation, condition and prognosis, and personal injury reports. He is most frequently instructed in matters involving general neurosurgery and spinal surgery, including spinal decompression, discectomy, microdiscectomy, spinal fusion, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, spinal trauma, spinal injuries, cauda equina syndrome, spinal tumours, hydrocephalus, trigeminal neuralgia, Chiari malformation, pain management and neurovascular pathology. He has attended trial as an expert witness.

Mr Tzerakis’ clinical interests centre on the assessment and management of adult patients with spinal, cranial and neurovascular conditions requiring specialist neurosurgical input. Much of his day-to-day practice involves evaluating patients with degenerative spinal disorders, nerve root compression, suspected cauda equina syndrome, spinal trauma and tumour-related spinal pathology, including cases requiring decompression, stabilisation or fusion procedures.

He has a particular interest in complex spinal decision-making, where clinical examination, imaging findings and multidisciplinary discussion are used to determine whether conservative management, interventional treatment or surgery is most appropriate. His practice also includes the management of cranial neurosurgical conditions such as hydrocephalus, intracranial haemorrhage, brain aneurysms, Chiari malformation and trigeminal neuralgia.

Alongside operative care, Mr Tzerakis is involved in outpatient assessment, emergency referrals, ward-based management and postoperative follow-up. His clinical work often requires balancing neurological risk, pain, functional impairment and radiological findings in patients with complex or evolving neurosurgical presentations.

Mr Tzerakis has an established academic profile, with peer reviewed publications, book chapter contribution and research activity across spinal surgery, neurotrauma, subarachnoid haemorrhage, chronic subdural haematoma and cauda equina syndrome. He has acted as Principal Investigator for several neurosurgical trials and leads regular educational meetings within his neurosurgical department, supporting the training of junior doctors and neurosurgical trainees.