Neurology

The Neurology department at Schulthess Klinik covers the entire spectrum of state-of-the-art neurological diagnostics and treatment. Close collaboration with our Spine Surgery department has been a particular focus for decades. This growing partnership as the Spine Unit is a key pillar of our care quality.

The Neurology department provides targeted supplementary diagnostics and performs spinal infiltrations, among other things. Electrophysiological monitoring is particularly important during challenging back operations: using multimodal intraoperative monitoring, we continuously monitor spinal cord and nerve root function. Changes can be observed immediately. This increases safety and helps prevent permanent nerve damage.

Digital pathways for managing back pain

An important milestone was reached in a research project in 2025: in a collaborative project with ETH, we successfully set up a digital infrastructure, expanding and rolling it out for a Schulthess-specific app. The app, called SAPHIR and intended for patients with back pain, is now being scientifically tested for its feasibility and usefulness. The aim is to better understand courses of treatment and, in the long run, predict which therapy works best for each patient. Clinical data, image data, gait analyses and questionnaire results are securely combined for this purpose.

In 2025, the focus was on setting up this infrastructure and ensuring a secure and efficient flow of data. The project is being developed in collaboration with ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. In this way, clinical experience is combined with technical and scientific expertise.