LAKELAND, Fla. — Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital is expanding its neuroscience program with a growing team of specialists and technology designed to treat complex conditions involving the brain, spine and blood vessels.
The hospital’s multidisciplinary team includes specialists in neurosurgery, neurointerventional surgery and vascular neurology. The program provides care for strokes, brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, brain tumors, spinal disorders and other neurological conditions.
“This experienced team gives patients in our community access to advanced neurological and neurosurgical care close to home,” hospital president Carlos Carassco said. “Our physicians are supported by sophisticated imaging, surgical and neurointerventional technology that allows them to evaluate and treat a wide range of complex conditions.”
For patients experiencing a suspected stroke, the hospital’s vascular neurology team uses advanced CT and MRI imaging to quickly identify brain injuries and blocked blood vessels and determine which patients may benefit from emergency treatment.
The hospital also has a Siemens biplane angiography system that produces high-resolution images from two angles during minimally invasive neurological procedures. Physicians use specialized catheters, microcatheters, guidewires and other devices to tailor treatment to each patient.
Its neurosurgical program includes both cranial and spine procedures, allowing physicians to treat complex brain tumors, aneurysms, vascular malformations and conditions that may require open microsurgery when minimally invasive treatment is not appropriate.
Neurosurgeons also have access to ZEISS operative microscopes for procedures involving delicate structures of the brain and its blood vessels. The hospital uses surgical navigation technology for spine procedures and has fellowship-trained specialists who treat complex spinal conditions.
The neuroscience team includes:
- Dr. Shane Burke, a neurosurgeon specializing in neurointerventional and cerebrovascular surgery
- Dr. Syed Gillani, an interventional neurologist
- Dr. Mekdes Ditamo, a vascular neurologist
- Dr. Morteza Sadeh, a neurosurgeon specializing in complex spine surgery
- Dr. Kelsey Washam, a vascular neurologist
Hospital officials said the combination of specialists and technology allows patients to receive care throughout the treatment process, from rapid stroke diagnosis and medical management to minimally invasive procedures, open brain and vascular surgery and advanced spine surgery.
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