Neurosurgery

Comprehensive Neurosurgical Care

The Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport Neurosurgery Department is a group of exceptionally talented experts committed to providing comprehensive patient care using the most innovative surgical approaches and embraces a level of care that prioritizes our patient’s long-term quality of life. Working collaboratively with other medical specialists, we treat adult and pediatric patients for a broad spectrum of neurological conditions. We offer advanced neuroscience treatment treatments and facilities, including:

• Gamma Knife: In January 2000, we became the first facility in the state to offer patients Gamma Knife radiosurgery. Our team performs about 800 Gamma Knife procedures each year.
• A Dedicated Neuro ICU: The only neuro ICU in the area, specifically for advanced monitoring and treatment of neurosurgery patients and specially trained nurses certified by the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses.
• 24/7 Stroke Care: We’re the only stroke center in the area prepared to handle any stroke-related emergency 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• The only stroke clinic offering thrombectomy for stroke 24/7 in north Louisiana. Our stroke team recently received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With the Guidelines Stroke Silver Quality Achievement Award. This award recognizes a hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence. Louisiana ranks among the highest in the nation for stroke deaths.
• Level 4 Epilepsy Center: In a collaborative partnership between our neurosurgeons and neurological colleagues, we have the only accredited Level 4 Epilepsy Center in the region, providing hope to adults and children with epilepsy by offering surgical removal of the epileptic focus within the brain
• Specialized Pediatric Concussion Clinic: Our team uses a computerized cognitive assessment aid for pediatric concussions to identify possible impairment and compare to normative data to determine a need for a more comprehensive evaluation and returning to activities

Our neurosurgeons perform more than 3,600 complex surgical procedures each year, and we are recognized as leaders for neuroscience in the South. We’re located at St. Mary Medical Center in Shreveport.

Specialties and Services

We specialize in treating a wide range of conditions that affect the brain, spine and nerves, including:

• Malignant and benign brain tumors
• Cranial base diseases
• Functional neurologic disorders (movement disorders), including Parkinson’s disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder and epilepsy surgery
• Neurogenetic diseases
• Neurovascular diseases, including brain aneurysms and surgery to prevent strokes
• Pediatric and developmental disorders, including hydrocephalus (a buildup of fluid in the cavities within the brain)
• Pituitary tumors and neuroendocrine disorders
• Spine and peripheral nerve disorders, including conditions causing back and spine pain
• Traumatic brain injuries, emergency surgery, intensive care and general neurosurgery
• Trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm disorders

We also offer several advanced subspecialties of neurosurgery, including:

• Neuro-oncology
• Spinal surgery
• Epilepsy surgery
• Functional neurosurgery
• Cerebrovascular surgery
• Pediatric neurosurgery
• Skull-base surgery

What Is Gamma Knife?

Since becoming the first in the state of Louisiana to acquire Gamma Knife technology in 1999, we have completed approximately 1,800 procedures, becoming a leader in stereotactic radiosurgery in the South.

Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a very precise form of radiation therapy that delivers highly focused beams of gamma rays with pinpoint accuracy to treat lesions in the brain such as tumors, blood vessel malformations and nerve conditions. Unlike conventional surgery, this revolutionary treatment requires no incision or opening of the skull.

With this advanced technology, our doctors have the ability to reach areas of the brain that remain inaccessible through conventional surgery, enabling patients who were once considered inoperable due to deep-seated abnormalities or critically located lesions to receive treatment for their disorders. It also offers treatment options to those who cannot qualify for traditional surgery due to health complications and/or advanced age.

Nationally Recognized Stroke Care

In conjunction with our colleagues in neurology, our stroke team has been nationally recognized for expertise in endovascular and open surgical approaches to neurovascular disease, most recently receiving the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus with Target Stroke Honor Roll award. We care for patients who have suffered ischemic strokes (caused by a blockage in the blood vessels that bring blood to the brain) and hemorrhagic strokes (caused by a broken blood vessel that is bleeding in the brain).

We are certified by The Joint Commission as a Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center, which means we have proven expertise in the use of thrombectomy, a minimally invasive procedure to remove dangerous blood clots from arteries that can cause a stroke. This procedure can save your life or that of a loved one during a stroke.

Our clinical excellence, combined with professional and compassionate delivery of care, defines Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport’s stroke program and sets us apart. Our stroke teams, which include board-certified physicians, nurses, therapists and social workers, offer an integrated approach to diagnosis, treatment and prevention of stroke, as well as stroke education.

We provide rapid diagnosis using the treatment guidelines developed by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With the Guidelines-Stroke program to treat stroke patients.

Our rapid response stroke team includes specially trained physicians and nurses to administer immediate stroke care using clot-busting medications and/or mechanical clot removal therapy when appropriate. With the help of A.I. technology and state-of-the-art radiology imaging, our team can review and readily identify any stroke patient that comes through our doors, providing the fastest care possible.

During and after a hospital stay, we provide or connect patients with services needed to begin their recovery and make continued progress. We offer:

• Stroke education for patients and their families to help them understand stroke, rehabilitation and prevention
• Rehabilitation and therapy services (including physical therapy, speech and occupational therapy) to help patients regain movement and function abilities
• Nutrition services to help patients make positive lifestyle decisions
• Social work services to help patients and families cope with change

We also help patients improve their health through providing information on:

• Becoming more informed and involved in their health care
• Risk factors for stroke
• Thrombectomy care (mechanical endovascular reperfusion)
• Warning signs of stroke
• What you should do if you are at increased risk for stroke
• When to act quickly and call 911 if just one of the stroke-like symptoms comes on suddenly.

Stroke patients at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport can benefit from an extended 4.5-hour tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) treatment window and can receive endovascular treatment up to 24 hours after symptom onset.

We feature an advanced Neurointerventional Biplane Angiography Suite and the latest thrombectomy devices, both of which allow physicians to perform the most complex endovascular interventions.