Neurosurgery
Mission Hospital is proud to provide world-class neurosurgical care for Southern California. Our neurosurgeons and orthopedic specialists have extensive experience in treating the full spectrum of brain and spine conditions, and are nationally known for their expertise in leading-edge treatments, including:
- Precision robotic-guided surgery
- Minimally invasive procedures
- Complex spine surgery
- Endovascular surgery
- Innovative treatments for brain and spine tumors, chronic pain and other conditions
From the moment you enter our care, our integrated team will guide you through the process and anticipate your every need. Before surgery, we'll work closely with you and your family to make sure you feel well prepared and know what to expect. During your hospitalization, both your surgery and recovery will take place on a dedicated, state-of-the-art neurosurgery floor, where every nurse and technician is specially trained in neurosurgical care. As your healing continues, your nurse navigator will make sure you receive the individualized support that you need, from pain management to physical or occupational therapy. Through expert treatment and attentive follow-up, our aim is to provide you with the highest level of care and a smooth road to a quick recovery.
Mission's neurosurgery team is led by neurological and orthopedic surgeons who are nationally known leaders in minimally invasive surgery techniques, image-guided surgery for complex spine issues, advanced brain injury treatments, cutting-edge pain-management interventions and other groundbreaking advancements. Working alongside them is an exceptional team of nurses and technicians with specialized training and certification in spinal and neurosurgical care. Completing our comprehensive team are specialists in every aspect of neurosurgical care and follow-up, including:
- A neurosurgical nurse navigator
- Vascular surgeons
- Neurologists
- Pain-management specialists
- Critical care intensivists
- Hospitalists
- Physical therapists
- Occupational therapists
- Speech therapists
Our neurosurgeons are widely known for their leadership in these and other highly specialized areas:
- Minimally invasive spine surgery, including development of techniques that are now used around the world
- Computer-navigated neurosurgery (Mazor X Stealth) for complex spinal surgeries
- Advanced brain injury treatment techniques
- Artificial disk replacement and cervical spine surgery
- Revision spine surgery
- Uncommon pain syndromes, including trigeminal neuralgia and complex regional pain syndrome
- Neuromodulation for the treatment of chronic pain
- Spine and peripheral nerve research
In addition, our team has led and participated in clinical trials of emerging treatments in these and other areas:
- Head injury
- Cervical artificial disk replacement
- Interspinous spacer placement
- Cervical fusion
- Minimally invasive cerebral hematoma evacuation
In neurosurgery, precision is everything. That's why Mission Hospital equips our neurosurgeons with the most technologically sophisticated operating suites in Orange County. Utilizing state-of-the-art robotic and imaging technologies, our surgeons are able to perform the latest brain and spine procedures with absolute precision, resulting in smaller incisions, less tissue injury and quicker recovery times for our patients.
Our precision neurosurgery suites are equipped with:
- Orange County's only Mazor X Stealth robotic-guided surgery system (our team includes one of the top experts in the U.S. in using this technology)
- Intraoperative imaging, which gives our surgeons a real-time, enlarged view of the surgical site in 2D and 3D for the utmost accuracy during complex surgeries
- Cortical mapping to map essential functions in the brain and identify areas causing seizures
- Computerized navigation to plan precise surgical approaches to areas of the brain
- Cavitron ultrasonic surgical tools that disintegrate and remove brain tumors without affecting the healthy, surrounding brain tissue
- Advanced monitoring equipment to monitor vital brain and heart functions during surgery
Mission Hospital's neurosurgery team provides expert surgical services for all conditions of the brain and spine, including the following:
- Cauda equine syndrome
- Herniated disk
- Low-back pain, strain and sprain
- Neck pain
- Scoliosis and other spinal deformities
- Spinal and brain trauma
- Spinal stenosis
- Spinal tumors
- Tethered spinal cord syndrome
- Vertebral compression fractures
- Arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
- Brain tumors: astrocytoma, glioblastoma multiforme, meningiomas, neurofibromatosis, pituitary tumors and inoperable tumors
- Carotid artery blockage/stenosis
- Cavernous malformation
- Cerebral aneurysm
- Chiari malformation
- Epilepsy
- Hydrocephalus and normal-pressure hydrocephalus
- Movement disorders
- Neurofibromatosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Tremor
- Trigeminal neuralgia
Our neurological specialists conduct and administer treatments for a wide range of conditions affecting the brain and nervous system conditions, which may include:
- Anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion
- Anterior, posterior and interlaminar lumbar interbody and fusion
- Artificial disk replacement
- Complex spine surgery
- Diskectomy, laminectomy and laminotomy
- Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty
- Laminoplasty
- Lumbar disk replacement
- Mazor X robotic spine surgery
- Minimally invasive spine surgery and traditional open surgery
- Spinal cord stimulation
- Spinal corpectomy
- Spinal instrumentation and fusion
- Spinal nerve decompression – foraminotomy and microforaminotomy
- Spinal revision surgery
- Cerebrovascular surgery
- Deep brain stimulation
- Functional neurosurgery
- High-intensity laser probe (for inoperable tumors)
- Minimally invasive surgery
- Peripheral nerve surgery
- Radiosurgery
- Stereotactic neurosurgery and brain biopsy
- Trauma surgery
As part of our commitment to providing world-class neurosurgical care, we engage in ongoing quality-improvement initiatives focused on maintaining patient safety, minimizing complication rates, optimizing outcomes and maximizing patient satisfaction. The results of our efforts lead to better results for our patients. Here are just a few measures of our quality:
- High neurosurgery volumes (950 in 2019), which ensure highly experienced care
- Surgeons named as "Physicians of Excellence" by the Orange County Medical Association year after year
- Surgical outcomes consistently superior to national averages
- Spine surgery infection rates well below national rates (2019 deep wound infections <.05%)
- Pain management rated as "good or very good" by 92% of spine surgery patients (Press Ganey HCAPS score, first quarter of 2020)
- Magnet designation for excellence in nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center
- Comprehensive stroke certification
- Accredited acute rehabilitation
- Trauma-system-verified by the American College of Surgeons
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