Stanford Functional Neurosurgery Program

Stanford’s Functional Neurosurgery Program focuses on restoring neurological function and quality of life to patients with movement-related disorders, pain, and epilepsy. Many of the therapies available through the Program utilize the stereotactic neurosurgical techniques developed at Stanford.

We offer a full spectrum of treatment options, including:

  • Open surgical and minimally invasive approaches
  • Frameless and robotic solutions
  • Focused ultrasound
  • Deep brain stimulation
  • Laser ablation
  • Responsive neurostimulation

 

Our approach is patient-specific, case-by-case, and collaborative. We treat many chronic neurological disorders, including:

  • Epilepsy
  • Movement Disorders:
    • Parkinson’s Disease
    • Essential Tremor
    • Dystonia
    • Spasticity
  • Pain:
    • Central Pain
    •  Trigeminal Neuralgia
    • Anesthesia dolorosa
    • Hemifacial Spasm
  • Cognitive & Neuropsychiatric
    • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
    • Depression

 

We are also developing treatments for the following emerging indications:

  • Dementia
  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Anxiety
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Addiction

 

Functional Neurosurgery staff collaborate with scientists in the Neuro-Muscular Clinic within the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford's Pain Program, the Epilepsy Program and Biomotion Research Group.

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for Movement Disorders and Pain Control

Jaimie Henderson, MD, and Vivek Buch, MD, are among a handful of West Coast neurosurgeons performing DBS implantation and monitoring to treat movement disorders and chronic pain. The implantable pulse generator is a thin insulated wire with four microelectrodes at its tip. It is implanted in brain areas that are known to be involved in the patient's disease, such as the globus pallidus or subthalamic nucleus in Parkinson's patients. The surgeon positions the DBS electrode with submillimeter accuracy using state-of-the-art surgical navigation technology. After recovery the brain area is stimulated through a small device similar to a cardiac pacemaker that is implanted under the skin of the chest. The stimulation parameters can be adjusted across a wide range to maximize the relief of pain or disordered movements. In Parkinson's disease we currently achieve an 85% reduction in symptoms with a 50-60% reduction in medication.

Specialties

Jaimie Henderson, MD

John and Jene Blume - Robert and Ruth Halperin Professor and Professor, by courtesy, of Neurology at the Stanford University Medical Center

Stanford Neuroscience Health Center

The Stanford Neuroscience Health Center brings together world-class specialists in neurology, neurosurgery, and interventional neuroradiology and sophisticated technology in a spacious outpatient building designed to address the unique needs of neurological patients.

Resources