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attracting patients from well beyond its catchment area. Recently a woman came to Dr. Eskandar from New Hampshire for surgical treatment of trigeminal neural- gia. She ended up having lifesaving surgery at White Plains Hospital to remove a large brain tumor — a meningioma — that was undetected until the patient had an MRI to evaluate her trigeminal neuralgia. Dr. Eska nda r performed a keyhole craniotomy to microscopica lly resect the tumor, which was pressing on the optic nerve and carotid artery. White Plains Hospital will later perform radiosurgery for the tumor, followed by surgical treat- ment for trigeminal neuralgia. A TEAM EFFORT White Plains Hospital also stands out from other community hospitals for its multi- disciplinary approach to every cranial neurosurgery case. Ear, nose and throat surgeons participate in the planning and surgery for removal of skull base tumors, while radiosurgeries are performed in collaboration with radiation oncologists. Physician assistants provide special- ized post-operative care, and, while the hospital's newly enlarged contingent of PAs translates to excellent floor support, cranial neurosurgeries — particularly the more complex procedures — receive a high level of post-operative care from attending surgeons. "We are very hands-on," Dr. Das says. "Two board-certif ied neurosurgeons handle most neurosurgery cases." Patients meet with all the specialists involved in their case, and the specialists coordinate their schedules so patients can make as few visits to the hospital as possible, Dr. Eskandar says. "It 's more of a community hospita l feel, where you get to see your physicians and talk to them, and they're accessible and available," Dr. Das adds. "It 's less intimidating, and you don't have to drive all the way to the city and pay for parking." PLANS TO GROW Drs. Eskandar and Das envision White Plains Hospital becoming a regional hub for neurosurger y, especia lly with the planned addition of an endovascular suite where subspecialists can offer advanced treatment of aneurysms, arterial malfor- mations and stroke. "These endovascular procedures are usually performed without opening the head; they 're done through the vessel now, so you need those technologica l capabilities," he says. "In addition, you need the post-op ICU to help take care of those patients." D r. E s k a nd a r hop e s t o s e e mor e neurosurgica l subspecia lties, such as pediatrics, at White Plains Hospital to further leverage the expertise available there and through Montefiore. " We have a very experienced team," he says. "For the conditions we're treat- ing, it's the highest level of care — the sa me ca re you cou ld get at the most prominent academic institution — which is remarkable." Fo r a d ditio n al info r m atio n , v i s it wphospital.org and click on "Services & Specialties" and then "Neurosurgery." n Prioritizing Multidisciplinary Care A MULTIDISCIPLIN A RY BOA RD evaluates all brain tumor cases at White Plains Hospital, notes Vijay Agar wal, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurosurger y and of Otorhinolar yngology at Alber t Einstein College of Medicine and Director of the Skull- Base Tumor Center at Montefiore Medical Center. The board may include endocrinologists, ophthalmologists, ENTs, plastic surgeons and radiation oncologists, Dr. Agar wal adds. "Many hospitals lack the ability to have tumors evaluated by a large, diverse group of specialists," he says. "At White Plains Hospital, eyes from multiple specialties look at ever y case, and the team comes to a consensus on what the best treatments are." Meet Emad N. Eskandar, MD, MBA DR. E SK A NDA R is Chair of Neurosurgery and Director of Epilepsy, Movement Disorders and Trigeminal Neuralgia at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and the Jeffrey P. Bergstein Professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He earned a medical degree at the University of Southern California and a Master of Business Administration at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was a neurolog- ical surgery resident at Massachusetts General Hospital and a neurophysiology Fellow at Harvard Medical School. A recent President of the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Dr. Eskandar special- izes in brain tumors, epilepsy, trigeminal neuralgia and Parkinson's disease. He sees patients at both Montefiore Medical Center and White Plains Hospital. Dr. Eskandar is an expert in the management of brain tumors, epilepsy, trigeminal neuralgia and Parkinson's disease. 1 0❱❱❱❱❱ C O V E R F E A T U R E

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