Neurological Surgery

The top brain tumor surgeons at the Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center are experts in advanced surgical and non-surgical treatments for both primary and metastatic brain tumors. Our multidisciplinary approach ensures that each patient receives the best care from neurosurgeons, neurologists, neuro-oncologists, neuropsychologists, and other experts required to provide brain tumor treatment.

In addition to our pursuit of an aggressive science–based approach, our Brain Tumor service emphasizes treatment of the whole person and respect for the roles of family members and other care coordinators.

We offer the best in clinical care for patients with brain tumors, from diagnosis through treatment and follow-up care, including a wide range of clinical trials.  Our patients come from the New York metropolitan area and from around the world — we are nationally and internationally known experts in brain tumors, so doctors everywhere send their patients to us for the best care.

Traumatic brain and spine injuries can be the result of car accidents, falls, sports, or violence. The Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center provides a neuroscience approach to brain and spine injuries, from mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI, or concussion) to severe trauma.

The neurosurgeons of the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center treat patients who arrive in the emergency room of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, which is a Level 1 trauma center capable of providing expert medical treatment in emergencies.  Our neurosurgeons are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to participate in the emergency care of injuries to the brain and spine.

Our neurosurgeons also treat non-emergency cases, including those less severe injuries that nevertheless cause pain and affect quality of life – and some of New York’s top athletic teams, including the New York Giants, New York Jets, and New York Islanders, put their trust in the experts of the Brain and Spine Center to ensure their players are in top condition.

The top neurosurgeons at the Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center offer world-class treatment for aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, carotid occlusions, trigeminal neuralgia, and other vascular conditions of the brain and spine. 

Our service combines expertise in minimally invasive surgical techniques with the advanced specialties of interventional neuroradiology and stereotactic radiosurgery, making us the go-to center for cerebrovascular disorders.

At Weill Cornell, world-renowned surgeons under the leadership of neurosurgeon-in-chief Philip Stieg, Ph.D., M.D., use state-of-the-art diagnostic tests to provide a detailed treatment plan for each patient. Microsurgery, embolization, and other leading-edge treatments have a proven track record of providing successful results.

Our unique Interventional Neuroradiology Program, directed by Dr. Y. Pierre Gobin, performs many advanced procedures, including pre-operative embolization, to improve outcomes in cerebrovascular cases.  We also offer non-invasive Stereotactic Radiosurgery as an option for some cerebrovascular disorders. Under the direction of Dr. Susan Pannullo, the Stereotactic Radiosurgery Program offers highly focused radiation treatments using advanced linear accelerator (LINAC), CyberKnife, or Gamma Knife equipment.

Epilepsy surgery is a complex procedure requiring a highly skilled surgeon experienced in the field. Our Epilepsy Surgery Service treats both adults and children, and in carefully selected patients can provide a permanent cure for seizures. In other cases surgery may reduce the frequency and severity of seizures.

Epilepsy surgery starts with localizing the seizures to determine the precise spot in the brain where they originate. Localizing is followed by brain mapping to determine what functional areas of the brain may be affected by surgery. Some patients may be good candidates for our new minimally invasive Laser Surgery Program for Epilepsy.

The Epilepsy Surgery Service is led by internationally recognized epilepsy surgery expert Theodore Schwartz, M.D., who is one of the pioneers in the field of epilepsy surgery, and Dr. Caitlin Hoffman, who has advanced training and expertise in epilepsy surgery in children.

Interventional neuroradiology (INR) combines advanced three-dimensional imaging techniques with endoscopic surgical procedures. INR specialists perform minimally invasive endoscopic techniques using high-tech imaging equipment to guide their work.

At the Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center, the Interventional Neuroradiology Program specializes in:

• Minimally invasive approaches to cerebrovascular conditions such as aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations of the brain and spine, and stroke.

• Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty for the treatment of painful vertebral body fractures.

• Pre-operative embolization to improve outcomes of surgery in brain and spinal tumors.

• Intra-arterial chemotherapy of tumors of the eye (retinoblastoma), the brain, and the spine.

• Treatment of superficial vascular malformations of the face and neck.

• Venous sinus stenting for patients with tinnitus or idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) caused by venous sinus stenosis.

Our clinical and surgical neuro-oncology programs treat malignant brain and spine tumors in adults and children, including primary or metastatic tumors. The neuro-oncologists and neurosurgeons of the Weill Cornell Brain Tumor Center offer a comprehensive approach to brain and spine tumors and see hundreds of patients each year with newly diagnosed and recurrent tumors.

Our team has expertise in treating all stages of brain cancer, including low grade gliomas, glioblastomas, and astrocytomas. We pride ourselves in our patient-first, multidisciplinary approach to diagnosing and treating cancers of the brain and spine. Neurosurgeons, neurologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, and nutritionists work alongside one another to develop comprehensive treatment plans for our patients that emphasize overall health and well-being.

The experts of the Surgical Neuro-oncology Program and Clinical Neuro-oncology Program collaborate to create a comprehensive treatment strategy built around each patient’s unique situation. This often includes approaches centered on the surgical removal of brain and spine tumors followed by medical control of tumors using radiation therapies (such as stereotactic radiosurgery and brachytherapy), and delivery of novel drugs and other anti-tumor agents. Additionally, our clinical and surgical neuro-oncology programs partner with the Cognitive Remediation Program, to provide support during and after treatment.

At the Weill Cornell Brain Tumor Center, we are devoted to brain tumor research in both the laboratory and clinic to better understand the biology of brain cancers and develop new treatment options.

Our physicians are well versed in clinical research and are actively studying the latest breakthrough diagnostic techniques and therapeutic options in order to make these available to our patients. In conjunction with standard clinical care, our Brain Tumor Center offers clinical trials with novel treatments, precision or “personalized” medicine, and translational research in order to target individual genes that may have a role in the disease. Some open clinical trials are currently examining the use of immunotherapy, PARP inhibitors, diet modification, and numerous other investigational agents to treat brain cancer.

We work closely with a multitude of national research institutions and hospitals to take part in new clinical trials that benefit our patients and add to our diversity of treatment options. For information regarding our open clinical trials please click here.

Learn more about our research to study brain cancer using organoids in order to identify potential treatments in this interview with CNN:

Second Opinions

In concert with your referring physician, we are always available to offer a second opinion in the form of a consultation with one of our specialists.

Why Choose Us?

We provide cutting-edge care, customized to each patient, ensuring that patients and their families receive the best care available with treatment plans that are designed to improve quality of life – both physically and mentally.

Our deep investment in clinical research allows us to offer the most innovative treatments currently available. From diagnostic tools to breakthrough clinical trials, we have the ability to provide advanced care found only in established research facilities.

Before and after treatment for brain and spine conditions, we offer neuropsychological services including brain mapping prior to surgery and pre- and post-operative testing and cognitive remediation. Our neuropsychologists also offer evaluation and care for those who have suffered a traumatic injury.

Neuropsychologists perform face-to-face, pencil-and-paper testing of attention, memory, visuo-motor speed, and other mental abilities, and may also administer a screening with a computerized test battery of cognitive abilities. The battery (ANAM) includes quantitative assessment of reaction time, choice reaction time, sustained concentration, and working memory. ANAM was developed by the government and has far more independent research on its reliability and sensitivity to concussion than proprietary batteries like IMPACT, which, despite its popularity, is backed by research performed mostly by its developers.

Neuropsychologists provide cognitive remediation therapy, which is a goal-oriented treatment geared at optimizing functioning and reintegration into daily activities. Cognitive remediation incorporates psychotherapy in order to support the individual as he or she experiences emotions related to a brain injury or condition.

The Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center offers advanced treatment options for individuals affected by movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, essential tremor, ataxia, Tourette’s syndrome, and related conditions. We specialize in deep brain stimulation (DBS), spinal stimulation, and other state-of-the-art treatments for movement disorders and pain. We are one of the few centers in the United States offering image-guided, high-intensity focused ultrasound for essential tremor.

The Weill Cornell Medicine Pediatric Brain and Spine Center takes a multidisciplinary approach that focuses on the whole child and offers them the best opportunity to enjoy a normal transition from child to adult. The program is nationally recognized for its leadership in the treatment of pediatric brain tumors, congenital malformations, craniofacial disorders, epilepsy, hydrocephalus, vascular abnormalities, and traumatic injuries.

Our faculty members have advanced skills and expertise in:

• Removal of intraventricular brain tumors
• Endoscopic intracranial surgery
• Tumors (colloid cyst, benign astrocytoma)
• Hydrocephalus (endoscopic third ventriculostomy)
• Congenital cysts (endoscopic fenestration)
• Treatment for Chiari malformations and syringomyelia
• Management of pineal region tumors
• Removal of intramedullary spinal cord tumors
• Correction of craniofacial disorders (cleft lip and/or cleft palate, craniosynostosis, hemifacial microsomia, vascular malformation, hemangioma, deformational (or positional) plagiocephaly)
• Multidisciplinary treatment of pediatric vascular abnormalities (arteriovenous malformations, Moyamoya disease, and cavernous malformations)

Skull base surgery — procedures performed not within in the brain but at the skull base behind the nose – has been transformed over the last decade, with minimally invasive techniques replacing open surgery in many cases. Top surgeons can now remove unimaginably large tumors through the nostrils instead of through incisions, using the natural openings of the face and manipulating tiny endoscopes to navigate to the lesions.

Minimally invasive endoscopic skull base surgery is often an option for pituitary tumors, meningiomas, craniopharyngiomas, and other tumors. Although many of these tumors are benign, they may destroy hormone-producing cells or secrete hormones themselves, or they may cause problems with vision, growth, fertility, or balance. Many are inaccessible through open surgery, and for those patients the endonasal route, through the nostrils, represents the only hope for a cure.

The spine specialists at the Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center offer a complete range of surgical solutions, from the most advanced minimally invasive techniques, including lateral access surgery that dramatically shortens recovery time, to open complex reconstructive spine surgery for scoliosis and other spinal deformities.

Working out of the multidisciplinary Weill Cornell Medicine Center for Comprehensive Spine Care on East 59th Street, our neurosurgeons take a team approach that allows us to draw on expertise from neurology, neurosurgery, rehabilitation medicine, anesthesiology, and physical therapy. After assessing your case, the spine team will tailor a treatment plan that may include physical therapy, medication, interventional pain management, acupuncture, and movement therapies. When surgery is part of the plan, we offer the most advanced minimally invasive techniques, including lateral access surgery that dramatically shortens your recovery time. We offer on-site rehabilitation, led by physical therapists whose holistic spine rehabilitation includes therapeutic exercise, manual techniques, yoga, McKenzie technique, and pool therapy.

At Weill Cornell Medicine, patients receive a complete continuum of care, from diagnosis to treatment and recovery.

Stereotactic radiosurgery is not surgery in the conventional sense. Its combination of advanced radiation tools and complex three-dimensional surgical planning techniques is used for precise delivery of highly focused radiation that can pinpoint a tumor or other target with little or no effect on normal surrounding tissue. It does not involve scalpels or other invasive tools, and does not require any openings in the skull or spine. Stereotactic radiosurgery has been used with great success in the treatment of brain tumors and other conditions as an alternative to “open” surgery. 

Stereotactic radiosurgery may be used either alone or in combination with other treatments, including traditional surgery, chemotherapy and other medications, “conventional” radiation, and embolization. Procedures done on the brain and spine are performed by a multidisciplinary team that includes a neurosurgeon, a radiation oncologist, and a medical physicist, all of whom have undergone special training and certification in stereotactic radiosurgery. The procedures are done on an outpatient basis, usually done under local or no anesthesia. The patient is awake for this painless treatment, and in most cases may return to their usual activities that same day or on the day after treatment.