Neurosurgery
You’re not like anyone else. Your body, brain and spine are wholly unique.
That’s why our skilled neurosurgeons will create an effective, tailored care plan for your brain or spine condition.
Neurosurgery Expertise for Complex Conditions
Complex brain and spine conditions require expert care and attention. When non-invasive treatments prove unsuccessful, patients can find the highest level of care from a board-certified, fellowship-trained neurosurgeon.
Neurosurgeons have trained for an average of eight to nine years. These experts are focused on protecting the spinal cord, nerves and brain, and have significantly more training than any other surgeon who operates on the spine.
Our neurosurgeons perform a wide variety of minimally-invasive procedures and complex surgeries. Each specializes in a different area, often collaborating with each other for the best patient outcomes.
- Collaborative Care
- Expert Stroke Care
- Brain & Spine Tumors
- Skull Base Program
- Functional Neurosurgery
- Advanced Imaging
- Augusta Our Approach
- Augusta Why Choose Us
- Augusta Services We Provide
- Augusta Meet the Team
Collaborative Care
Neurosurgeons lead the team for patients with brain and spinal conditions, but care plans and treatments are highly collaborative.
Our neurosurgeons partner with neuroradiologists, neurologists, neurotologists, pain management specialists, neurological physical therapists, and chiropractors to diagnose and help patients get relief.
Wellstar’s coordinated services for brain and spine care at hospitals and health parks make it easy for patients to access the care they need.
Proven excellence
At Wellstar, we take surgery seriously. That’s why surgical solutions for brain conditions, spine disorders, as well as back and neck pain are only recommended when no other treatment path is likely to be successful.
Our team excels to meet and exceed national quality metrics. We are reviewed by third parties to ensure patients can count on the highest quality care and the best outcomes.
Our spinal surgery programs are accredited Programs of Excellence by Aetna and Blue Cross.
Many of our patients get peace of mind and confidence when a neurosurgeon says they can heal without surgery.
Cerebrovascular & Neurocritical Care
When someone experiences a severe stroke, aneurysm or brain injury, rapid access to expert cerebrovascular and neurocritical care physicians can make all the difference.
With the largest Joint Commission Stroke Certified hospital network in the Southeast, Wellstar is a leader in providing effective and personalized care for patients who have experienced a critical stroke, aneurysm or brain injury.
Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center and Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center both offer the highest level of care for complex strokes and aneurysms. That means you don’t have to go far for the best and safest cerebrovascular and neurocritical care.
Expert Care for Brain & Spine Tumors
The compassionate team at the Wellstar Brain & Spine Tumor STAT Clinic is made up of neurosurgeons, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists. We come together to offer the most urgent, patient-centric experience diagnosis and treatment for benign and cancerous tumors of the brain and spine. Our multidisciplinary team of specialists helps patients with nervous system tumors get a treatment plan quicker. Earlier decisions about cancer treatment plans can lead to a faster treatment start date and better outcomes.At STAT Clinic, our tight-knit team of highly skilled specialists collaborate with each other and offer patients a unified treatment plan recommendation in one day.
Learn more about the Wellstar Brain & Spine Tumor STAT Clinic.
Expert Care for Skull Base Conditions
The evaluation and treatment of skull base disorders demand the expertise of a highly specialized team. These tumors and disorders affect the area between the sinuses, ear and brain. Skull base conditions are highly complex to treat, requiring multidisciplinary planning and the highest level of technical skill to preserve the important nerves and blood vessels in this area. Our neurosurgeons work as part of a multidisciplinary skull base team at Wellstar, often performing complex skull base surgery in tandem with neurotologists.Learn more about Wellstar's multidisciplinary skull base program.
Functional Neurosurgery
Functional neurosurgery encompasses a range of surgical procedures that help people with specific neurological conditions. Depending on your diagnosis, the goal of these procedures is to help you have better control over your body movement, fewer or no seizures or less pain. This means you can keep doing the things you love and enjoy.
Wellstar is one of the few places in metro Atlanta providing advanced functional neurosurgical care. We brought this unique specialty here so people with complex disorders can get the care they need—closer to home.
Neuroradiology & Advanced Imaging
Wellstar is one of the only programs in the nation with a dedicated neuroradiology program. Our experts have advanced training specific to the nervous system. Neuroradiologists read imaging studies to help diagnose nervous system tumors more accurately. Patients may have CT scans, MRI scans, myelograms and/or angiograms to assess brain and spine tumors and their relation to related blood vessels.Our Approach
Neurosurgery is done to treat diseases and problems affecting the brain, spine, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. The Department of Neurosurgery at Augusta University is part of AU Health's Neuroscience Center of Excellence. We embrace a patient- and family-centered care approach to deliver excellence in patient care, provide superior education to the resident staff and community, and to engage in innovative neurosurgical research.
Why Choose Us
We offer a full range of neurosurgical services to patients at Augusta University Medical Center - a 520-bed tertiary hospital that offers specialized services not available in other facilities in the region. We are:
- The region's best-equipped and busiest Acute Care Services (ACS) verified Level I Trauma Center
- Able to offer dedicated neurosurgical operating rooms with state-of-the-art equipment
- A 20-bed Neurocritical Intensive Care Unit
- The only Gamma Knife Center of the region
- Providers of pediatric neurological care through the Children's Hospital of Georgia where our neurosurgeons work with pediatric neurologists to treat children with brain and spinal disorders.
Our subspecialty areas of expertise
When it comes to your brain and spine, it's important to see specialists with the training and knowledge to perform the highly specialized procedures that our neurosurgeons are prepared to do.
- Complex spine surgery
- General neurosurgery
- Treatment for normal pressure hydrocephalus
- Peripheral nerve surgery
- Surgical oncology
- Surgical pain management
- Skull base surgery
- Stroke treatment
- Functional/stereotactic neurosurgery for movement disorders and epilepsy.
In addition, we have flourishing research laboratories including.
- An innovative human brain lab, a cerebrovascular lab, and synapse lab
Services We Provide
- Brain tumor surgery
- Epilepsy surgery
- Gamma knife radiosurgery
- Normal pressure hydrocephalus
- Pain management and therapy
- Pediatric neurosurgery
- Spine surgery
- Skull base surgery
- Vascular and endovascular neurosurgery
Meet the Team
Khoi Nguyen, MD- Pediatric neurosurgery, general adult neurosurgery
Samuel Macomson, MD - Hydrocephalus, peripheral nerve surgery, general neurosurgery
Michel Paré, MD - Spine surgery
Alexander Post, MD - Spine surgery, pediatric neurosurgery
Scott Rahimi MD - Vascular and endovascular neurosurgery, general neurosurgery
Martin Rutkowski, MD - Surgical oncology, skull base surgery, brain tumor
Fernando L. Vale, MD - Functional and epilepsy neurosurgery, brain tumor
John R. Vender, MD - Surgical pain management, surgical oncology, general neurosurgery