Welcome to Mariel Szapiel, MD functional neurosurgery practice, where innovative techniques and compassionate care come together to improve your neurological health and quality of life.
Precision in Treatment, Compassion in Care.
A passion for helping patients
I work closely with my team of the best neurologist in Central Florida to strive for best results.
Practiced Techniques
- Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
- Stereotactic Surgery
- Gamma Knife Radiosurgery
- Neuroablation
- Responsive Neurostimulation (RNS)
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS)
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
- Cortical Mapping
- Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR)
Patient Selection and Evaluation
- Detailed medical history and physical examination.
- Neuroimaging studies (MRI, CT scans).
- Neurophysiological testing.
- Multidisciplinary team assessments, including neurologists, psychiatrists, and neuropsychologists.
Post Surgery Support
- Medical Monitoring and Follow-Up
- Rehabilitation Services
- Psychological and Emotional Support
- Device Management (for DBS, VNS, RNS, etc.)
- Patient and Family Education
- Nutritional Support
- Pain Management
- Coordination of Care
- Monitoring for Complications
Specialized and trained in Functional Neurosurgery
This is a specialized field of neurosurgery focused on treating neurological disorders by altering the function of specific areas of the nervous system. This branch of surgery aims to improve the quality of life for patients with various conditions by modulating neural activity.
Conditions Treated:
- Movement disorder: Conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, and dystonia.
- Epilepsy: Refractory or drug-resistant epilepsy.
- Chronic Pain: Including trigeminal neuralgia and chronic neuropathic pain.
- Psychiatric Disorders: Severe cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, and other mental health conditions.
- Spasticity: Resulting from cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, or spinal cord injuries.
Procedures
- Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS): Electrodes are implanted in specific brain regions to modulate abnormal brain activity.
- Ablative Surgery: Includes procedures like pallidotomy and thalamotomy, which involve destroying small areas of brain tissue to relieve symptoms.
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS): A device is implanted to stimulate the vagus nerve, which can help control seizures or depression.
- Responsive Neurostimulation (RNS): A device is implanted that monitors brain activity and delivers electrical pulses to prevent seizures.
- Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy: A pump delivers medication directly to the spinal cord to manage spasticity.
- Radiosurgery: Techniques like Gamma Knife or CyberKnife are used for precise, targeted radiation treatment.
“If you or a loved one are considering DBS for Parkinson’s or another movement disorder, I wholeheartedly encourage you to visit Dr. Szapiel. It has transformed my life, and I believe it can do the same for many others.“
John D.
DBS Patient
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