focus on health
::: surgical care:::
BRAIN
POWER
For neurosurgeon David Langer, MD, combining world-class medicine with thoughtful
patient care isn't wishful thinking. It's just common sense.
DR. LANGER, RECENTLY appointed the director
of neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital, is passionate
when he talks about the hospital's neurosurgical
care. That's because he believes that Lenox Hill
Hospital's neurosurgery program is in a league of
its own in terms of patient care. Dr. Langer has
standardized several technology-smart educational
tools within the neurosurgery division to improve
his patients' experience in the hospital and when
they return home.
Collaborative Spirits
Dr. Langer and Rafael Ortiz, MD, director
of neuro-endovascular surgery, work closely on
neurovascular cases, which involve blood vessel
disorders of the head and neck. These cases run
the gamut of neurovascular conditions — from the
routine such as aneurysms to the rare and complex
such as moyamoya disease, a condition causing a
dangerous constriction of certain arteries at the base
of the brain. Dr. Langer's neurovascular expertise
also includes carotid artery stenting and brain
revascularization.
Drs. Langer and Ortiz evaluate patients'
neurovascular conditions with the aim of having
every treatment address the underlying problem with
as little invasiveness as possible — or as Dr. Langer
puts it, "to treat your brain, whenever possible,
without opening up your head."
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According to Dr. Langer, the addition of a
neurovascular subspecialty at Lenox Hill Hospital
that "easily rivals that of any hospital in the country"
enhances the hospital's long history of excellence
in the treatment of peripheral vascular and
cardiovascular disease.
Tumor surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital
encompasses a range of procedures including
minimally invasive procedures to remove tumors
or devascularize them through embolization, which
cuts off blood supply, enabling them to be surgically
treated with less blood loss while improving safety.
Dr. Langer treats tumors located not only in the
brain but also in the skull base, such as acoustic
neuroma, a slow-growing benign tumor on the nerve
leading from the brain to the inner ear, as well as
tumors of the neck and spine. Treating these tumors
often requires close collaboration with one or more
specialists, such as an otolaryngologist, oncologist,
radiologist, vascular surgeon, orthopedic surgeon or
general surgeon.
Building a Better Patient Experience
The range of complex neurosurgical treatments
available at Lenox Hill Hospital is impressive. But
surgical know-how, Dr. Langer said, is only half
the story.
"We're combining world-class neurosurgery with
an unparalleled patient experience," Dr. Langer said.
LENOX HILL HOSPITAL ::: LENOXHILLHOSPITAL.ORG
