Clin Asst Prof Nishal Primalani

Clinical Assistant Professor Nishal Primalani is Head of Service and Consultant in Neurosurgery at the National Neuroscience Institute at Changi General Hospital. He also practises as a Consultant at NNI@Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the CGH-NNI Integrated Spine Centre. His practice encompasses general neurosurgery and a broad range of spinal conditions affecting both the neck and lower back, including slipped discs, spinal narrowing, nerve and spinal cord compression, instability, deformity, tumours, fractures, and traumatic injuries. His general neurosurgical practice also includes brain tumours, hydrocephalus, head injuries and intracranial haemorrhage.

He has a particular interest in minimally invasive spine surgery, including posterior, lateral and anterior approaches and endoscopic or tubular techniques, selected according to each patient's condition and anatomy.

He completed the Complex Minimally Invasive Spinal Fellowship at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust in the United Kingdom in 2026 and a SingHealth-accredited fellowship in Spinal Disorders Surgery at Changi General Hospital in 2024. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in Surgical Neurology and a Clinical Assistant Professor with the SingHealth Duke-NUS Neuroscience Academic Clinical Programme.

• 2026 - Complex Minimally Invasive Spinal Fellowship, Department of Spinal Surgery, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust, United Kingdom
• 2024 - SingHealth-accredited Fellowship in Spinal Disorders Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Changi General Hospital
• 2022 - FRCS (Surgical Neurology), Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
• 2021 - Master of Clinical Investigation, National University of Singapore
• 2012 - MBBS, Imperial College London, United Kingdom - Merit in Surgery
• 2010 - BSc (Hons), Medical Sciences with Reproductive and Developmental Science, Imperial College London, United Kingdom - Second Class Upper Division

• 2025-present - Member, NNI Medical Council
• 2024-present - Head of Service, Department of Neurosurgery, NNI@CGH
• 2024-present - Chair, Departmental Morbidity and Mortality Committee, Neurosurgery, CGH
• 2024-present - Member, NNI Innovation Committee
• 2024-present - Member, Medical Audit Committee, CGH
• 2024-present - Member, Medical Board, CGH
• 2024-2025 - Clinical Lead, Spine Connect generative-AI patient education initiative, SingHealth
• 2024-2025 - Committee Member, Enhanced Recovery and Value-Driven Care initiatives for Spine Surgery, NNI@TTSH
• 2023-2025 - Member, 54th Surgical Care Committee, TTSH
• 2021-2022 - Chief Resident, SingHealth Neurosurgery Residency

• 2022 - Outstanding Resident Award
• 2021 - A+ (Outstanding) performance rating
• 2014 - International Travel Grant Award, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
• 2012 - Merit in Surgery, Imperial College London

• Cheong TM et al. CN-105 in Participants with Acute Supratentorial Intracerebral Hemorrhage Trial in Singapore (S-CATCH): A Phase 2b, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Neurocritical Care. 2026; 1-9.
• Tan BR et al. Minimally invasive parafascicular surgery versus conventional open surgery for evacuation of basal ganglia hemorrhage: a multicenter experience. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. 2026; 148:111975.
• Tan BR et al. Corrigendum to ‘Minimally invasive parafascicular surgery versus conventional open surgery for evacuation of basal ganglia hemorrhage: a multicenter experience’. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. 2026.
• Foo YW et al. Tethered cord secondary to focal nondisjunction of the primary neural tube: experience from a Singapore children's hospital. British Journal of Neurosurgery. 2024; 38(6):1352-1358.
• Lim JX et al. Outcomes of decompressive craniectomy for large territory cerebral infarction with and without prior reperfusion: a multicentre retrospective review. Acta Neurochirurgica. 2023; 165(3):599-604.
• Primalani N et al. An antibiotic envelope to reduce infections in deep brain stimulation surgery. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. 2023; 107:162-166.
• Primalani NK et al. Abusive head injury in the very young: outcomes from a Singapore children's hospital. Child's Nervous System. 2022; 38(12):2397-2407.
• Primalani NK et al. Paediatric cranioplasty—experience from a Singapore children's hospital. Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery. 2022; 30:101606.
• Lim JX et al. Decompressive craniectomy for internal carotid artery and middle carotid artery infarctions: a long-term comparative outcome study. Neurosurgical Focus. 2021; 51(1):E10.
• Primalani N et al. A novel use of intraoperative neuromonitoring as an early predictor of postoperative spinal cord recovery in the excision of spinal intradural extramedullary tumours. Neurosurgery. 2020; 67.
• Primalani NK et al. Spontaneous intracranial hypotension presenting as cervicogenic headache: case report and review of literature. World Neurosurgery. 2019; 130:550-554.
• Ng WH et al. Journal Watch: our panel of experts highlight the most important research articles across the spectrum of topics relevant to the field of CNS oncology. CNS Oncology. 2019; 8(2):CNS32.
• Gandhoke CS et al. Cervical C7 ganglion cyst causing compressive myelopathy: a rare case report. Surgical Neurology International. 2019; 10:61.
• Thien A et al. Prevalence of asymptomatic unruptured intracranial aneurysms in a Southeast Asian population. World Neurosurgery. 2017; 97:326-332.
• Soh YQ et al. Predictive factors for corneal endothelial cell migration. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 2016; 57(2):338-348.
• Primalani NK et al. Evaluation of the migratory capacity of the human corneal endothelium across bare Descemet's membrane and exposed corneal stroma. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 2014; 55(13):2069-2069.
• Gandhi A et al. A model for peer-assisted learning in paediatrics. The Clinical Teacher. 2013; 10(5):291-295.