You are here: United Hospital > Services & Programs > Neuroscience United

Print

Send to a Friend

Nasseff Neuroscience Center

The Nasseff Neuroscience Center boasts a depth of clinical expertise, advanced technology and continuing medical education at every level of care.The Nasseff Neuroscience Center offers:

• Specialized physicians and clinical staff
• Dedicated resources, capital and equipment
• State-of-the-art neurosurgery technology and expert surgeons
• Three of only 40 certified neurointerventional radiologists in the United States
• Highly trained and experienced neuroscience nursing staff and a core neurointensive care staff
• Inpatient and outpatient neurological rehabilitation services offered through the Sister Kenny® Rehabilitation Institute
• An established relationship with the University of Minnesota for advanced neurology/physiology training
• Significant participation in clinical research
• Education opportunities and community outreach

Interventional neuroradiology

Interventional neuroradiology is a subspecialty in which highly trained neuroradiologists use percutaneous techniques to diagnose and treat disorders of the brain, spine and spinal cord. Areas of specialization include:

• intra-arteriol thrombolysis, intra- and extra-cranial cerebral angioplasy and mechanical clot retrieval
• aneurysm coiling
• diagnostic angioplasty

One benefit of neurointerventional radiology is that it may be less invasive than comparable surgical procedures and can be used as primary or adjunctive treatment if:

• Cerebral aneurysms
• Stroke
• Vascular lesions and plaque
• Arteriovenous malformations
• Brain, spinal cord and neck tumors
• Compression fractures of the spine
• Fistulas

Neurosurgery

Neurosurgery, led by United Neurosurgery Associates, is dedicated to the care of patients with all types of neurological disorders. The neurosurgeons are renowned for their expertise and specialized clinical skills across a broad range of brain and spine disorders, including:

• Brain and spinal cord tumors, using brain mapping, spinal cord monitoring, stereotactic image guidance and intraoperative MRI
• Pituitary tumors
• Epilepsy, including brain mapping/stimulation, vagal nerve stimulators, lobectomies/lesionectomies, corpus callostomy and hemispherectomy
• Blood vessel abnormalities (including aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, carotid stenosis, intraoperative angiography and electrophysiologic monitoring is utilized)
• Intracranial hemorrhage
• Complex spinal disorders
• Degenerative disc disease, including artificial disc replacement or fusion with minimally-invasive techniques
• Pediatric cerebral palsy, including selective dorsal rhizotomy, baclofen pumps
• Infections of the brain or spine
• Biopsies (brain, peripheral nerve)
• Hydrocephalus
• Facial pain and tics
• Neurotrauma
• Peripheral nerve lesions
• Spasticity (baclofen pumps)
• Chiari malformation
• Neuroendoscopy
• Stereotactic radiosurgery

Dedicated Neurosurgery Suites

Two neurosurgical suites on the second floor of United Hospital are dedicated to neurosurgical procedures.

Intraoperative MRI

Intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a procedure that can help improve a neurosurgeon’s ability to remove brain lesions by providing real-time images during the operation. United is installing the Neuro II 1.5 Tesla intraoperative MRI system from IMRIS (Innovative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Systems Incorporated). The mobility of the system allows the neurosurgeon to update images quickly and efficiently so that surgical adjustments and decisions can be made with pinpoint accuracy. In addition, the neurosurgeon can use the intraoperative MRI to confirm that the entire tumor was removed before closing, thus reducing the need for additional operations.

Back to Neuroscience United