Neurosurgery

We offer advanced neurosurgical 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 have clinic locations conveniently located at St. Mary Medical Center in Shreveport and inside the Viking Drive - Multispecialty Center in Bossier City.

Epilepsy Center

Our Regional Epilepsy Center is the ONLY facility in North Louisiana with Level 4 accreditation by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC), which is the highest ranking the NAEC provides and recognizes centers based on their expertise and capacity to provide a range of services for epilepsy patients. We are committed to providing the highest level of care for our epilepsy patients, partnering with patients and families throughout all stages of care - from initial seizure diagnosis to long-term management.

Our state-of-the-art technologies and surgical treatment options include invasive monitoring with grid placement and implantable electrodes (SEEG), resective surgery, MRI guided laser surgery, reactive neurostimulation (RNS), vagal nerve stimulation (VNS), and deep brain stimulation (DBS).

We offer the most complex forms of intensive neurodiagnostic monitoring available, as well as extensive medical, neuropsychological, and psychosocial treatment. This includes electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring with simultaneous videotaping (video EEG monitoring), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), magnetoencephalography (MEG), ictal single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Our team of dedicated neurosurgeons; neurologists; neuroradiologists; nurse specialists; physical, occupational and speech therapists; neuropsychologists; and psychiatrists work together in a multidiscplinary approach to offer individualized epilepsy care to adults and children.

Gamma Knife Center

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

Stroke Center

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 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 who 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 in the area.

Spine Center

Our team of board-certified, specialty-trained spinal neurosurgeons has expertise in the surgical management of the full range of spinal conditions, including stenosis, herniated discs, degenerative spine conditions, trauma, and tumors, as well as other conditions involving the spine such as scoliosis, kyphosis, spondylolisthesis, degeneration, trauma, and instability. We have extensive experience using both traditional open and newer minimally invasive spinal techniques including robotic spine surgery.

In an effort to provide access to the latest technology to our patients, our Spine Team is now using the Mazor X Stealth Edition System™ in the operating room for a variety of procedures. With the Mazor X Stealth Edition™, our team uses 3D planning technology to develop the optimal surgical procedure in a CT-based 3D simulation of the patient’s spine before even entering the operating room. The computer analytics provide our team with pre-operative data for procedure planning and intra-operative guidance, allowing for improved patient outcomes and lessening the length of hospital stays for patients by an average of 2 ½ days.