Referrers

Emergencies

  • NIISwa provides a 24 hour emergency on-call service. Access for discussion is initially through SCGH switchboard (08 6457 3333) and they will put you through to the on call Fellow or Consultant as appropriate

    • Outpatient Referrals
    Neurovascular conditions, including unruptured brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, carotid stenosis, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, spontaneous intracranial hypotension, and chronic subdural haemorrhage can be referred to NIISwa

  • For referrals from outside the public hospital system (General Practitioner or Private Specialist) that seek a first specialist outpatient appointment for NIISwa, please send referrals to the Central Referral Service (CRS) for processing

    Information on how to send a referral to the CRS is available here: https://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/Central-Referral-Service-guide-for-referrers

    Please note that urgent referrals are not processed by the CRS. For any patients requiring urgent assessment within 7 days), referrers should contact NIISwa on 08 6457 4455 and send the referral direct to NIISwa via fax 08 6457 3710 or email to niiswa@health.wa.gov.au

    Secure messaging is the preferred method for sending in-scope referrals to the CRS. Once a referral is sent via secure messaging, there is no requirement to send the original referral by fax or post, as the CRS referral processing system tracks the referral from initial receipt through to acceptance by the appropriate hospital

  • For referrals from within the public hospital system, please send the referral via the eReferrals system (Under “Referral To”, choose Site: Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Unit: Neuro Intervention (NIISWA) [NIIS], regardless of site, for central triaging)

  • The patient will then be triaged according to urgency. The department can be contacted on 08 6457 4455 between 0800 – 1600 on business days, or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    • The Neurological Intervention & Imaging Service of WA (NIISwa) provides:

    Neurointerventional:

  • State-wide neurointervention service including outpatient clinic consultation, inpatient admission and aftercare
  • State-wide hyperacute intracranial mechanical thrombectomy service for acute large vessel occlusion ischemic stroke for all WA patients, both metropolitan and rural, based at SCGH and FSH
  • State-wide service for acute and elective intracranial aneurysm assessment and endovascular treatment, based at SCGH
  • State-wide service for intracranial vascular malformation assessment and endovascular treatment, based at SCGH
  • Emergency neurovascular operative support for craniocervical traumatic vascular injuries to the WA State Trauma Unit, based at RPH
  • Adjunctive pre-resection transcatheter tumour devascularization for cerebral, cranial, spinal and cervical lesions, based at SCGH
  • Assessment and neurointerventional treatment of paediatric neurovascular conditions, based at PCH
  • Assessment and treatment of craniocervical vascular stenotic and occlusive diseases, including carotid and vertebral revascularisation (stenting) procedures
  • Assessment and treatment of dural venous sinus stenosis causing intracranial hypertension, by dural sinus stenting
  • Assessment and treatment of spinal and intracranial vascular pathologies, based at SCGH
  • Endovascular treatment of epistaxis (nosebleeds)
  • Treatment of chronic subdural haematoma by middle meningeal artery embolization
  • Outpatient consultation with dedicated Interventional Neuroradiologists for neurovascular diseases
  • Liaison and consultative service to other related departments

    • Neurodiagnostic:

  • Specialist expertise in tertiary and quaternary level neurological imaging and diagnosis for brain, head and neck and spinal disease at SCGH, RPH, PCH and KEMH
  • Neurovascular perfusion imaging
  • Comprehensive Transcranial Doppler (TCD) service, including transcranial Doppler right to left shunt studies
  • Functional MR imaging especially in tumour and epilepsy evaluation
  • Advanced Neuro Imaging techniques in MR and CT

    • Percutaneous/Spinal:

  • Comprehensive CSF leak management service (imaging workup, targeted patching and follow-up)
  • Provides full range of percutaneous spinal procedures including vertebral augmentation (vertebroplasty), biopsy, lumbar punctures, facet and nerve root sleeve injections, epidural injections and myelography
  • Provides full range of percutaneous head and neck procedures including complex biopsy
  • Assessment and treatment of peripheral vascular anomalies and treatment of pulmonary AVMs