World-class expertise to restore the brain and spine
The brain and spine power your livelihood: Feeling, thinking, moving. When a health condition or trauma threatens your cognition or mobility, you need precise treatment from experts who've mastered the latest neurosurgery techniques and technology.
MedStar Health neurosurgeons are internationally recognized leaders in brain and spine surgical care. We are a trauma center of excellence, and our specialists unite decades of expertise with the latest medical knowledge to treat even the most complex and rare brain, spine, and vascular conditions. For example, we performed the first cranial endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) surgery on a patient with hydrocephalus.
From Baltimore to D.C., our neurosurgery suites are equipped with the region’s most advanced surgical technology. Every patient’s care is backed by the collective expertise of the MedStar Health network, with specialists in minimally invasive spine surgery, neurology, stroke, and rehabilitation embedded within our team.
Together, we will create a comprehensive care plan that focuses on your individual needs and goals—from diagnosis through recovery and beyond.
Robotic spine surgery
MedStar Washington Hospital Center made history in 2020 when it became the first hospital in the U.S. to perform minimally invasive spine surgery using Brainlab’s Cirq® robotic arm. MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center also implemented Cirq. Since then, we’ve performed hundreds of procedures with Cirq, and it has proven to be a game changer.
Cirq is a surgeon-controlled robotic arm, designed to increase precision in navigating complex spinal surgeries. With cameras, a computer, and the intraoperative Airo CT scanner, Cirq supports the procedure with rock-solid stability and sub-millimeter accuracy.
These advancements are benefiting people all over the world. Our neurosurgeons host clinical teams from domestic and international institutions worldwide who observe our equipment and advance their own knowledge to help patients at home.
Introducing IMRIS at Verstandig Pavilion
Real-time diagnostic imaging
The Intraoperative MRI System (IMRIS) at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital is truly lifechanging. For patients, it’s like having surgery and an MRI at the same time. For neurosurgery teams, the technology digitally maps a patient’s brain, head, and neck during brain surgery, improving precision and reducing the need for post-op imaging and additional surgery—and it’s the only OR-integrated IMRIS system in the region.
Vascular neurosurgery
In the past, brain surgery meant long operations with high risks and lengthy recoveries. Now, MedStar Health endovascular neurosurgeons can treat even the most complex cases with minimally invasive procedures.
One example is the treatment of arteriovenous malformations (AVM)s. A patient with this condition lives with a tangle of abnormal blood vessels in their brain that can weaken and rupture, causing a life-threatening brain aneurysm.
Neurosurgeons with MedStar Health are successfully treating AVMs without open surgery. Instead, they use catheters to guide tiny cameras and devices to the brain through other blood vessels.
Endovascular neurosurgery is a subspecialty that requires extensive training and sophisticated technology. MedStar Health neurosurgeons have performed more than 5 times as many procedures as other hospitals in the DC area. Doctors from across the Mid Atlantic refer patients to MedStar Health for a reason: They trust our experience and expertise.
Patient stories
Research
MedStar Health neurosurgeons are leaders at the forefront of brain and spine clinical research. Our goal is to improve quality of life and patient survival by offering treatments and technologies that aren’t yet widely available at other centers. Talk with your care team to explore clinical trial opportunities.