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| Surgical Specialties >> Neurosurgery >> Clinical Programs | |
| Neurosurgery : Clinical Programs | |
Brain Tumor Program The Brain Tumor Center at the University of Chicago was created in response to the questions raised by our patients, the desire to coordinate specialized neuro-oncologic care, and the need to present objective data regarding the management and treatment of patients with brain tumors. The Brain Tumor Center at the University of Chicago Hospitals offers a coordinated, multi-disciplinary approach to the care of adult and pediatric patients with tumors of the central nervous system. Within the Center, patients with primary and metastatic brain tumors are evaluated by a team of neurosurgeons, neurologists, neuro-oncologists, radiation oncologists, neuro-pathologists, neuro-radiologists, neuro-otologists, and neuro-opthalmologists. Since no two individuals or brain tumors are alike, we review each case with an emphasis on what is right for the patient. Physician contacts for the brain tumor program are: Adult Brain Tumors: Maciej S. Lesniak, M.D. The University of Chicago Hospital Neurosurgery, MC 3026 5841 S. Maryland Ave Chicago, IL 60637 Tel - (773) 834-4757 Fax - (773) 702-3518 Pediatric Brain Tumors: Bakhtiar Yamini, M.D. The University of Chicago Hospital Pediatric Neurosurgery, MC 4066 5841 S. Maryland Ave Chicago, IL 60637 Tel - (773) 702-2475 Fax - (773) 702-5234 For more information on this exciting new program, please visit our website at www.ucneurosurgery.org. Epilepsy Program Led by a team of world-respected experts on epilepsy, the University of Chicago's Adult Epilepsy Center has helped hundreds of people take control of their epilepsy. Many of our patients are viewed as "untreatable" until they come here. They arrive after trying many different medications and therapies with little success. In most cases, our expert team is able to greatly reduce or even eliminate their seizures. This level of success is possible, in part, because of the advanced diagnostic tools available. Sophisticated computer-based functional imaging techniques--pioneered at the University of Chicago--provide a detailed 3-D model of epileptic electrical activity inside the brain. This helps our experts identify the source of a patient's seizures and determine the best possible treatment. We are the only medical center in the United States that routinely obtains these diagnostic details non-invasively without having to implant electrodes in the brain. Because our doctors are also researchers, they are also aware of any new or experimental drug therapy that becomes available. The Comprehensive Epilepsy Center is also involved in clinical trials of new medications, which ensures that our patients have early access to these medicines. When epilepsy cannot be controlled with medications, surgery may be a safe and effective option. At the University of Chicago Hospitals, our neurosurgeons have been performing epilepsy surgery for nearly 20 years--with excellent results. Procedures Performed: Our neurosurgeons provide a complete range of safe and effective surgical interventions. These include the following: Lobectomy, Multiple Subpial Transection, Vagal Nerve Stimulation. Our Adult Epilepsy Center has highly skilled staff and advanced technology for treating even the most challenging cases. Our multidisciplinary team of doctors--board certified in neurology, neurosurgery, neuropsychology, neuropsychiatry, neurogenetics, radiology, and rehabilitation--collaborate effectively in the best interest of the epilepsy patient. Neurosurgery Physician Contact for the Epilepsy Program: Robert Erickson, M.D. The University of Chicago Hospital Neurosurgery, MC 3026 5841 S. Maryland Ave Chicago, IL 60637 Tel - (773) 702-2123 Fax - (773) 702-3518 For more information on the Epilepsy Program, please visit our website at www.ucneurosurgery.org. Functional Neurosurgery Center New functional and stereotaxic procedures have improved the treatment of a wide variety of neurosurgical diseases. At the University of Chicago, these methods are being employed for brain tumors, epilepsy, movement disorders, spasticity, and pain. Movement Disorders The University of Chicago has leading experts in the medical and surgical treatment of movement disorders. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) for tremor, Parkinson's disease, and dystonia is offered to appropriate patients who have failed medical treatment. Dr. Richard Penn, the neurosurgeon who does these procedures, has a decade of experience in this field and is one of the first in the Midwest to have tested deep brain stimulation for tremor. He is assisted by a specialized team for intraoperative monitoring to record neuronal firing patterns. Nurses with extensive experience using electrical stimulation help after the patient leaves the hospital by adjusting the DBS stimulation. Neurosurgery Physician Contact who specializes in movement disorders: Richard Penn, M.D. The University of Chicago Hospital Neurosurgery, MC 3026 5841 S. Maryland Ave Chicago, IL 60637 Tel - (773) 702-2123 Fax - (773) 702-3518 For more information, please visit the University of Chicago Parkinson’s website at: parkinsons.bsd.uchicago.edu. Pain Disorders One of the most successful operations for pain relief in cancer patients, percutaneous cordotomy, was developed over thirty years ago at the University of Chicago. This has influenced the approach to pain by emphasizing the least invasive procedures to help chronic pain. These include the balloon treatment of trigeminal neuralgia (developed at the University of Chicago) as well as electrical stimulation and implanted drug pumps using intrathecal morphine. Stereotactic Radiosurgery Radiosurgery, which uses focused radiation, represents a powerful tool to treat brain and spinal cord tumors, as well abnormal blood vessles, such as arterivenous malformations. The University of Chicago neurosurgeons have access to both the LINAC and Gamma knife systems; both have been successfully shown to treat a wide range of oncologic and vascular neurologic disease. Neuroscience Critical Care Neurointensive care is a specialty dedicated to the management of patients with acute, disabling, and often life-threatening problems of the nervous system. Neurologists and neurosurgeons who subspecialize in this area also have a honed expertise in the prognostication of acute neurological problems. The University of Chicago maintains a dedicated Neurointensive Care Program to provide patients with the latest neurological treatments available. There is a dedicated Neurointensive care unit with Neurointensive care specialist physicians, fellows and nurses with extensive experience in managing critically-ill neurological and neurosurgical patients. Some of the contemporary stroke therapies that are already available or soon will be available at the University of Chicago include:
Other than stroke-related problems, neurointensive care specialists have expertise in the management of:
The neurointensive care unit at the University of Chicago is a unique program in the greater Midwest region. Staffed by neurologists and neurosurgeons, the unit is dedicated to patients with acute neurologic and neurosurgical disease. Neurovascular Program The Neurovascular program is committed to clinical and research excellence. The program is entrusted with all aspects of management of stroke and cerebrovascular disorders and the coordination of subsequent therapeutic strategies including surgery, interventional neuroradiology, stereotactic radiosurgery, and rehabilitation. The clinical mission is complemented by an academic commitment to advancing knowledge through basic and applied research. The management of patients with cerebrovascular disease is provided by physicians who are recognized experts in their respective fields. They have managed thousands of patients with these diseases and are known around the world for providing outstanding care to patients with cerebrovascular diseases. We are on the cutting edge of care of patients with cerebrovascular disease and stroke. Our team has millions of dollars in grant funding from various federal and nonfederal grant sources that we use to investigate various aspects of stroke. Our goal is to find the cause of some of these diseases and to thereby enhance treatment and someday prevent them. Among special services provided is the diagnosis and treatment of the following:
Specific examples are below: Vascular Cases  Cavernous Malformation: A brain cavernous malformation can be seen as the dark spot with the variegated intensity in the middle on the left side of this brain magnetic resonance image.  AVM - An angiogram showing a brain arteriovenous malformation.  AVM B - A magnetic resonance image of a brain AVM. The AVM is the wedge-shaped dark area on the right side of the image.  Aneurysm before coiling - A brain aneurysm (the round dark structure in the middle of the picture) seen on an angiogram before treatment.  Aneurysm coils - An x-ray of the skull showing the mass of coils that were placed into the same aneurysm to treat it.  Aneurysm after coiling - The angiogram after coiling of the aneurysm shows that the round dark structure that was the aneurysm is now gone and replaced by the coils.  Giant aneurysm MRI - A magnetic resonance image of the brain shows a giant aneurysm (the round dark spot in the middle of the picture).  Giant aneurysm before bypass - The angiogram showing a giant aneurysm arising from the carotid artery.  Giant aneurysm bypass - This giant aneurysm was treated by blocking the carotid artery surgically and constructing a bypass using a vein to go around the aneurysm. This picture shows an angiogram of the bypass. The aneurysm no longer can be seen.  Aneurysm before clipping - Angiogram of an aneurysm (the dark spot in the middle of the picture) before clipping  Aneurysm after clipping - Angiogram after clipping the aneurysm shows that the aneurysm (the dark spot on the last picture) is gone and the artery around it are still filling. The metal clip can be seen faintly where the aneurysm originated from the carotid artery. For more information on this subspecialty, please visit our website at www.ucneurosurgery.org. Neurovascular Physician Contact: Robert Loch Macdonald, M.D., Ph.D. The University of Chicago Hospital Neurosurgery, MC 3026 5841 S. Maryland Ave Chicago, IL 60637 Tel - (773) 702-2123 Fax - (773) 702-3518 Pediatric Neurosurgery Center The Section of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the University of Chicago was established within The University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital in order to provide outstanding care to children with diseases and malformations of the developing nervous system. Our goal is the practice of, teaching of, and research into neurosurgical problems at the very highest level. The program in Pediatric Neurosurgery at the University of Chicago is dedicated to the evaluation and treatment of neurological and neurosurgical problems seen in children. These include: hydrocephalus, congenital malformations of the skull, brain, and spine (such as myelodysplasia); pediatric neuro-oncology; pediatric neurovascular surgery; surgery for intractable epilepsy; and functional neurosurgery for spasticity. The evaluation and treatment of children with neurosurgical problems is accomplished by a team of inter-disciplinary specialists including pediatric neurologists, pediatric medical sub-specialist including oncologists, endocrinologists, urologists and orthopedists. Children and their families may then be enrolled in a number of subspecialty clinics that are specifically designed to work with patients and their families in the evaluation and on-going management of their particular condition. At the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital, pediatric neurosurgeons work closely with pediatric neurologists to provide the most up-to-date and effective treatment for the entire spectrum of neurological disease. When surgery is required, our neurosurgeons tailor their approach to the needs of each child. Every year, we perform hundreds of complex neurosurgical procedures on infants and children--with expertise that ranges from standard approaches for removal of brain and spinal cord lesions, to advanced computer-aided and minimally invasive techniques. U.S.News & World Report ranked our neuroscience programs among the best in the country. Parents from across the country and around the world bring their children to Chicago Comer Children's Hospital for treatment of the most challenging neurological problems. While our pediatric neurosurgeons care for the full range of neurological conditions, we are particularly recognized for our treatment of congenital anomalies of the nervous system (birth defects) and hydrocephalus, brain and spinal tumors, and epilepsy. For more information on pediatric neurosurgery at the University of Chicago, please contact one of the following three physicians at the University of Chicago: David Frim, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery Daniel Curry, M.D. Bakhtiar Yamini, M.D. The University of Chicago 5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC4066 Chicago, IL, 60637 Tel: 773-702-2475 Fax: 773-702-5234 Minimally Invasive Brain Neurosurgery No other medical center in the United States currently treats as many back and neck problems as we do, using minimally invasive approaches. Our premier surgeons can stabilize painful joints, decompress pinched nerves, fuse bones, and correct deformities--all through small incisions and endosopes. Minimally invasive spine surgery offers the same post-surgical benefits as traditional spine surgery--but with much less trauma. A smaller incision is not the only advantage. Using an endoscope, the surgeon does not need to move, or "retract," the major muscles on the back, which is necessary during open spine surgery. So, patients are spared the pain and scarring that can develop after muscle retraction. Patients also require much less anesthesia during minimally invasive procedures. In addition, hospital stays are dramatically shorter. Many patients are able to go home the same day after endoscopic spine surgery. Open spine surgery usually requires four to five days in the hospital. For several years, our premier brain surgeons have been using endoscopes to treat hydrocephalus, which is a dangerous buildup of spinal fluid in the ventricles, or fluid spaces, of the brain. Our brain surgeons are also successfully diagnosing and treating brain tumors using endoscopic approaches. These minimally invasive operations can benefit people of all ages--from tiny newborns to older adults. Not all brain surgeries can be performed using endoscopic approaches. When open brain surgery is necessary, our world-class surgeons rely on the latest technology to help minimize the patient’s pain and trauma. Using data from CT or MRI scans and other brain imaging tests, our staff create detailed 3-D computer models of a patient’s brain. These sophisticated stereotactic techniques – some of which were developed here at the University of Chicago – help our brain surgeons pinpoint the exact location and size of a brain tumor or other abnormality. As a result, open brain surgeries today require much smaller incisions than they used to. In the past, a surgeon would have to make a 10-cm incision to locate and remove a 2-cm tumor. Today, the operation only requires a 1-2cm opening. The benefits to the patient are obvious: less pain, a quicker recovery, fewer side effects, and less brain trauma. The Neurosurgery physician contact for minimally invasive spinal surgery is Richard G. Fessler, M.D., Ph.D. Dr Fessler is the Chief of the Section of Neurosurgery at the University of Chicago, and is personally responsible for developing the procedure of microendoscopic resection of intradural/extramedullary tumors of the spine. In addition, he was a member of the development team for the global anterior cervical plate. His contact information is Richard G. Fessler, M.D., Ph.D. Chief of Neurosurgery The University of Chicago 5841 S. Maryland Ave, MC3026 Chicago, IL, 60637 Tel: 773-702-2123 Fax: 773-702-3518 Spine Surgery Center The spine center at the University of Chicago offers comprehensive management of spinal problems. We specialize in complex spine surgery, including reconstructive tumor surgery, using the latest techniques and innovations. Some of the most common problems that we treat include: Degenerative disc conditions, including osteoarthritis Disc herniation of back or neck Failed back syndrome Infections of the spine Osteoporosis Pain or swelling from prior fusions or surgeries Radiculopathy, or leg pain Scoliosis Spinal stenosis Spondylolysthesis Trauma of the spine Tumors of the spine Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery In addition to performing cutting edge open procedures for complex spine problems, our surgeons are truly at the leading edge of minimally invasive spine surgery. Here, at the University of Chicago Hospitals, the majority of spine surgeries are done through a few tiny cuts. Patients suffer much less pain and are back to their normal activities in a few days to weeks, depending on the surgery. |
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