groups in your area that are there to help people dealing with spinal issues and contact them.    Such groups usually have a good feel about who's worth seeing and who's a waste of your time.  

I know I'm not telling you anything you don't already know, but decide what it is you're looking for in a doctor...what's most important?  Does "bedside manner" matter a lot?  Do you want someone with a prestigious reputation who publishes, or are you content with someone with a good reputation who's competent?  Someone who'll have all the answers, or someone willing to work with you to find them?  

but lots of best wishes and good luck.

I have found fabulous doctors in a variety of ways, and have been referred to doctors by close friends and found I didn't like them at all.

When I needed a surgeon for a breast biopsy several years ago, I called the doctor my OB/GYN recommended and she could not see me for over a month. But her office staff recommended two other people and one of them turned out to be one of the best doctors I have ever seen. I am not wild about my family practice doctor [bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired] but she recommended me to a GYN surgeon (for my hysterectomy) whom I adored. My OB who delivered my kids -- I found her off a doctor finder service of the hospital she's affiliated with, and loved, loved, loved her.

I would ask everyone I know -- doctors, friends, do internet searching -- and then go with your gut.

again -- good luck!

For a surgeon, I think the most important thing is how many times they have done that exact surgery.  That's what I would ask about.  

I had a orthopedic surgery, and I went to one doc for a consult, but he did everything, shoulders, knees, etc.  He was also a huge ass during the visit, but that's besides the point.

Then I went to a second guy, and all he did in his practice was was the particular joint I needed repaired, 1000s of times, and he was a professor at Columbia.  He did an awesome job and was kind to boot.  I appreciated his kindness, but for a surgeon, competence is most important.

Good luck with finding one.

It's not always the same person s/he refers you to. Doctors have to take a lot of patient factors and business relationships into account when they make referrals. They might not refer you to that really great surgeon who's 150 miles away in an out-of-network hospital. So ask where the doctor him/herself would go, regardless of all the other factors.

Also, if your DH has had imaging that was read by a fellowship-trained neuroradiologist (his primary referring doc will know), you might want to track down that doctor and ask the same question. The radiologist's name/practice will be on the dictated imaging report. [Full disclosure: This is my DH's specialty, so I'm biased in making this recommendation. Feel free to ignore me, as I am in the pockets of Big Neuro.]

I agree with the posters who say that it's important to find a surgeon who has done an appropriate number of the procedure your DH needs, but I will add a caveat. If the procedure is new or uncommon, there might not be anyone who's done it 1000s or even 100s of times. You might be lucky to find someone who has done it 25 times--that might be the expert! So be sure you are interpreting the #s in context.

(Oh, as for magazines, their 'awards' often are tied up with advertiser relationships. Sad, but true.)

I'd make sure to get several opinions before doing any surgery.  I'd ask numbers -- numbers of surgeries performed, outcomes, etc.  As a former nurse I really respect teaching hospitals and use them for my family's care.  Surgeons who teach at a medical school are often good, imo, and you can look to see if someone is tenured, associate, etc.  I like to look at how long people have been practicing, where they were trained and so forth as well.

Oh - I'd also look to see if the hospital where your husband will recover is a nursing magnet hospital.  It doesn't mean everything, but it is a sign of stronger nursing care which is an integral part of post-op recovery.

Best of luck in your search and healing thoughts to your family...

that just stinks, needing a neurosurgeon.  It seems like your family gets just too many medical challenges.  {{{hugs}}}

I don't know how to choose a doctor, since I think it's hard to get an accurate sense of their medical record.  But I think there's a possibility you can weed some out by calling the health department and seeing if there are complaints against them?  

I don't know much, it's just a guess.

I don't have anything to add to the great advice above, just thinking about you and your husband. I know you'll be able to find a great doctor.