Patient Stories

Awake Spine Surgery: Dr. Andrew Chan Looks to a New Frontier in Treatment

Summary of awake spine procedure, where the patient does not have to undergo general anesthesia featuring Dr. Andrew Chan at Columbia Neurosurgery.
The Return of the Weekend Warrior: One Determined Staten Island Resident Finds His Way Back to the Races

Dr. Chan determined patient issue was with the lumbosacral level (L5-S1) where the lumbar spine ends/sacral spine begins. Since patient's symptoms persisted despite physical therapy, multiple medications, and an epidural steroid injection, the option of surgery became reasonable.
Pain-Free from Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Patient's Global Journey Leads to Dr. Raymond Sekula

In a 6-week post-surgery interview, Dr. Raymond Sekula speaks with Tulsie Singh who had been suffering from trigeminal neuralgia since 2020. Mr. Singh traveled from Trinidad to Columbia Neurosurgery. Before working with Dr. Sekula, this patient's facial pain was so severe that he could not put a toothbrush in his mouth and medication did not provide relief. Dr. Sekula discusses using microvascular decompression surgery with a hospital stay of mere hours for this man to be completely pain-free four days later and off all medications.
A Cure and a Career: Meet Dr. Feldstein’s Patient, Carly

When Carly Hirschberg went to see Dr. Feldstein about her Chiari malformation, she ended up with more than she ever imagined: a symptom-free life and a start on the path to practicing medicine.

Headache and Pain Disorders