Tampa General provides a full spectrum of care for adults and children with neurological
problems, from minor injuries to the most complex cases.
Our staff includes physicians who specialize in treating patients with neurological disorders
and injuries as well as specially trained and certified nurses and technicians. In addition,
TGH is the only facility on Florida's west coast with neurosurgeons and interventional
radiologists available around-the-clock.
Our 32-bed Neuro Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the west coast of Florida. Our ratio
of one nurse for every two patients means that patients are constantly being monitored. Click here to take a virtual tour of the Neuroscience ICU.
Tampa General's Comprehensive Epilepsy Program is the only Level 4 epilepsy center on Florida's west coast and one of just four statewide. Level 4 indicates the highest possible level of medical and surgical services are available for patients with seizures.
Our Epilepsy Program is also the first in the nation to receive disease-specific certification from The Joint Commission. This certification is presented only to programs meeting The Joint Commission's most exacting standards of care.
The Epilepsy Program's team of neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, nurses, and technicians are specialists in the diagnosis and treatment of seizures in both adults and children. Our services include:
24-hour video EEG monitoring. Patients admitted to our Epilepsy Center can be monitored using the latest in digital EEG equipment to determine the type of seizures they're experiencing and the location in the brain where they originate. This is vital to determine the proper mode of treatment, particularly with seizures that are difficult to control.
Epilepsy Surgery. Epilepsy is caused by uncontrolled and excessive discharge of nerve cells in the brain. Patients whose epilepsy can't be controlled by medication may be candidates for surgery to remove the area of the brain causing the seizures. This operation is highly effective: about 80 percent of patients are cured of the disease and another 10 percent experience improvement in their conditions after surgery.
Tampa General is one of just four Florida hospitals to provide this operation. And with over 50 surgeries a year, we are the state's busiest epilepsy surgery center.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation. VNS is the treatment of choice for patients with uncontrolled epilepsy who are not candidates for surgery. Sometimes called a pacemaker for the brain, a VNS device prevents seizures by sending mild pulses of electrical energy to the brain at regular intervals through the vagus nerve. About the size of a silver dollar, the device is implanted in the upper left area of the chest under general anesthesia.
Tampa General provides surgical treatment to relieve symptoms caused by disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's Disease, essential tremor and others.
A primary treatment is deep brain stimulation , which suppresses tremors by sending mild electrical pulses to the brain. The pulses are delivered to the brain by electrodes, which are implanted in the brain and connected to a battery-operated generator implanted in the chest area. The electrical impulses block brain signals that cause uncontrollable shaking.
Both adults and children can be treated at TGH for a full spectrum of spinal disorders, including discogenic and degenerative spine disease, scoliosis, spinal tumors, and trauma.
Services include:
Kyphoplasty. This minimally invasive technique is used to restore the original height and angle of a fractured spinal bone, or vertebra, and to relieve pain caused by the fracture. During this procedure, a balloon-type device is installed and inflated in the collapsed vertebra to restore it to its original height, followed by injection of a medical-grade cement to repair the fracture.
Laminectomy. This surgical procedure treats spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal that causes painful compression of the spinal cord and nerves. It involves widening the spinal canal by removing or trimming part of vertebrae to create more space
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. In a minimally invasive, or laparoscopic, procedure to repair the spine, surgeons go through the front of the body using small puncture holes instead of a big incision. The advantages of laparoscopic surgery include improved postoperative recovery, decreased pain, and a faster return to normal activities.
Percutaneous Vertebroplasty. This procedure is used to treat painful compression fractures of the spinal bones, or vertebrae. Using only a small skin opening, a physician injects a medical-grade cement into a fractured vertebra to stabilize it and prevent any further collapse. Most patients experience significant pain relief within 48 hours.
Spinal Fusion. This surgical technique is used to treat degenerative disc disease, fractured vertebrae, degenerative spinal conditions, and other conditions that cause pain from motion of the vertebrae. During a spinal fusion, surgeons place a bone graft between two vertebrae to fuse them together so they become immobile.
Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation. Tampa General provides a comprehensive program of medical, therapeutic and case management services to help both adults and children with spinal cord injuries return to their highest possible functioning. Our complete continuum of care begins at the most acute stages of a patient's injury and continues through outpatient therapy.
TGH has been designated as a provider of rehabilitation for both adult and pediatric spinal cord injury patients by the Florida Department of Health, Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program. This means our facility has the highest level of expertise and experience to address the medical, rehabilitation, and physiological needs of patients of all ages who sustain traumatic spinal cord injuries.
Tampa General is a state-licensed comprehensive stroke center. It is also designated as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission, indicating it meets the organization's highest standards of care.
A stroke occurs when brain cells are deprived of oxygen and begin to die either because of a blood clot or bleeding in the brain. Timing is crucial with a stroke: The longer it takes for treatment to occur, the greater the chances of disability or death.
Tampa General provides a full spectrum of services for patients experiencing stroke - from aggressive emergency treatment to stop a stroke's progress through comprehensive rehabilitation. They include:
Carotid and Vertebral Artery Stenting. The carotid and vertebral arteries pass through the neck to deliver oxygen-rich blood to the brain. If one of them becomes clogged with fatty deposits, brain cells can begin to die, an event known as a stroke. Stenting is a minimally invasive procedure in which a small metal mesh tube called a stent is implanted in a blocked artery to open a blockage and reduce the risk of stroke. The stent is delivered to the site through a catheter that is guided through the circulatory system from a blood vessel in the patient's groin. Tampa General is the only facility on Florida's west coast that is accredited by Medicare for this procedure.
Chest Pain and Stroke Center. A stroke team comprised of stroke attending physicians, interventional neuro-radiologists, and emergency, laboratory, and radiology staff is available 24 hours a day to immediately attend to patients with stroke symptoms. Rapid diagnosis procedures ensure that patients are evaluated and ready for treatment within an hour. Tampa General's Stroke Program is a state-licensed comprehensive stroke center.
Peripheral tPA. This clot-busting drug is an option for patients experiencing a stroke caused by a blood clot. The medication is administered through a vein in the arm. tPA must be administered within three hours of the onset of stroke symptoms.
Interarterial Thrombolysis. Available up to six hours after the onset of stroke symptoms, interarterial thrombolysis involves delivering clot-busting medication directly to the clot using minimally invasive techniques.
Neuro Intensive Care Unit. TGH's 32-bed Neuro ICU ensures that stroke patients receive care specifically for their impairments. Early intervention is part of the program, with physical, speech, and occupational therapy available at the bedside as soon as the patient is stable.
Tampa General Rehabilitation Center. Once they're well enough, stroke patients can be admitted to the Rehabilitation Center, where a comprehensive program of medical, therapeutic, and case management services is provided to help them return to their highest possible functioning. Outcomes are very positive: 73 percent of stroke patients can return to their home environments after they're discharged from the Rehabilitation Center, compared to 70 percent nationally. In addition, the Rehabilitation Center's Outpatient Clinics provide physical, occupational, and speech therapy on an outpatient basis.
Neurosurgical interventions are provided to treat brain, spinal, and peripheral nerve disorders and injuries, including brain aneurysms, brain and spinal cord tumors, vascular malformations, cranial bleeding, and complex spinal disorders in both adults and children.
Transphenoidal Pituitary Resections. A surgery in which physicians go through a patient's nostril to remove a tumor on the pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain behind the nose.
Neurosurgical Treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia. A surgery to relieve the agonizing facial pain of trigeminal neuralgia by relieving pressure on the trigeminal nerve or reducing nerve sensitivity.
A wide array of tumors of the brain, spine, and peripheral nervous system are treated at Tampa General Hospital and the Moffitt Cancer Center located on the TGH campus. Our surgeons work closely with colleagues in medical and radiation oncology to design specific treatment strategies tailored for each patient's individual condition.
Tampa General Hospital's Sleep Disorders Center is the first in the country to receive both accreditation by the American Academies of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and disease specific certification by The Joint Commission.
This center provides evaluation and follow-up care for children and adults with a variety of sleep-related disorders such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and insomnia.
Polysomnogram
In order to better evaluate patients' sleep patterns and help physicians determine the best treatment options, the Sleep Disorders Center offers a polysomnogram, a test that measures bodily functions during sleep through the use of electrodes. Measurements taken include:
Brain waves
Heartbeats
Eye movements
Chin movements
Leg movements
Breathing
Blood oxygen levels
Other bodily functions may be recorded to answer special questions about such things as
chest pains and health issues. Video monitoring may also be used.
Once patients' results are reviewed by one or our licensed sleep technologists or
respiratory therapists, a summary is sent to one of our Board Certified Sleep Physicians.
Once completed, a diagnosis and recommended treatment is sent to the patient's primary care
physician or the physician who ordered the study.
Common Sleep Disorders
Sleep apnea : A condition in which breathing stops or gets very shallow during sleep.
Each pause in breathing typically lasts 10 to 20 seconds or more and can occur 20 to 30
times or more an hour.
Insomnia : A chronic inability to fall asleep or stay asleep for an adequate length
of time.
Narcolepsy : A disorder characterized by sudden and uncontrollable, though often
brief, attacks of deep sleep, sometimes accompanied by paralysis and hallucinations.
Obstructive sleep apnea : A form of sleep apnea that is caused by the obstruction
of the upper airway by weak or malformed pharyngeal tissues. It occurs especially in obese,
middle-aged and elderly men and results in an insufficient amount of oxygen in the blood,
as well as chronic drowsiness during the day. It is also often called obstructive sleep
apnea syndrome.
Parasomnias : Any of several disorders that frequently interfere with sleep,
occurring especially among children and includes sleepwalking, night terrors, and
bed-wetting.
