The short answer
Nigeria has trained neurosurgeons who operate on brain tumours and hydrocephalus. Whether to travel depends on how urgent the problem is, how complex the operation is, and what treatment follows, such as radiotherapy. Never delay emergency care to arrange a trip. Mezo does not run a neurosurgery unit, but a surgeon can review the MRI and write a plan first.
Ask a neurosurgeon to review the scansMedically reviewed by Dr Debo Odulana, Founder and Chief Executive, Mezo. Last reviewed . This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Care is decided with you after an examination.
When there is no time to travel
Some brain problems cannot wait for visas and flights. Go to an emergency department now for a sudden severe headache, a first fit, new weakness, confusion or drowsiness, after a head injury with any warning sign, or when someone with a shunt has a headache with vomiting or becomes drowsy. A blocked shunt or rising pressure in the brain needs an operation within hours, close to home.
What a brain surgery quote usually covers, and what it leaves out
A brain operation is priced from the neurosurgeon and anaesthetist, theatre time, navigation or monitoring equipment, intensive care days, the ward stay and the tissue analysis. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy afterwards are usually separate, and can mean weeks more away from home. Ask for the plan after surgery before you compare quotes, and add the trip costs below.
- Flights for the patient and at least one companion, and the visa process
- Hotel nights before admission and after discharge, while you wait to be cleared to fly
- The companion's time off work, and money for food and local transport
- Tests the foreign hospital repeats on arrival, even when you bring recent ones
- Medicines to bring home, and the blood tests, scans and reviews after you return
- What happens, and who pays, if a complication shows up after you are back in Nigeria
Recovery time and flying home
Most people go home from the ward within one to two weeks of a craniotomy if recovery is smooth, and tiredness can last for weeks. Flying soon after brain surgery is a decision for the surgeon, because air trapped in the skull after an operation can make flying unsafe for a while, and a fit in the air is far from help. Do not book the return flight until the surgeon says when.
The risks of going home too early
The first weeks bring the problems that need a team that knows the case: swelling, a wound leak, infection, fits or a shunt that blocks. Treatment after surgery, such as radiotherapy, is often planned around the tissue result, which may come after you have left. Agree before you go who reads that result and who gives the next treatment.
- The full operation note, not only a discharge summary
- Copies of every scan and the images themselves, on a disc or a download link
- The tissue (histology) report, where anything was removed
- Details of any implant, valve, shunt or device, with its make and model
- Your medicine list with doses, and how long each one continues
- A named contact at the hospital abroad, and how a doctor in Nigeria can reach them
Questions to ask any neurosurgery team
- Exactly what does the quote include: surgeon, anaesthetist, theatre, intensive care days, implants, tests, medicines?
- What is excluded, and what is the daily rate if I need more days in intensive care or on the ward?
- How many of these operations does the surgeon do in a typical year?
- How long must I stay after discharge before I can fly home?
- Who looks after me if something goes wrong at week two, week six or month six?
- Will you send my records and operation note to my doctor in Nigeria?
How Mezo helps
Mezo does not operate on the brain. A surgeon reads the MRI or CT images and reports and writes a plan: whether an operation is advised, what may follow, and the kind of team and intensive care it needs. Mezo helps arrange the referral, and a written quote comes only from a team that agrees to take the case.
What it costs on Mezo
One fixed price, paid online.
Common questions
Can a brain tumour be operated on in Nigeria?
Yes. Nigerian neurosurgeons operate on brain tumours. Whether yours should be done here depends on the tumour and the team, and a review of the MRI is the first step.
How soon can I fly after brain surgery?
Only when the surgeon says so. Air left inside the skull after surgery, the risk of fits and the risk of clots all affect the timing.
My child has a shunt. Is it safe to travel?
Usually, once it is working well, but know the warning signs of a blocked or infected shunt, carry the shunt details, and find out where the nearest neurosurgical emergency care is at your destination.
Does Mezo do brain surgery?
No. Mezo gives you a surgeon's review of the scans and a written plan, and helps arrange the referral to a neurosurgical team.
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Get a written plan before you decide
Send the MRI, the reports and the letters. A surgeon reviews the case and writes a plan, and a quote follows only from a team that agrees to operate.
Ask about brain tumour surgerySources and further reading
The guidelines and patient information this page is checked against. Care in Nigeria follows the same evidence; what differs is the price and where it is done.
- Treatment abroad checklist. NHS. Official publication.
- Brain tumours. NHS. Patient information.
- Hydrocephalus: complications. NHS. Patient information.
Links last checked 3 November 2026.
Medical disclaimer: This guide is general information and does not replace advice from your own doctor. Where your centre's instructions differ from this guide, follow theirs.