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Brain & Spine Center of Niagara

Dr. Bagnall	Dr. Sarpel	Dr. Stoffman	Dr. Vigna

A signature medical service at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center recently received a significant upgrade as The Spine Center of Niagara was renamed the Brain & Spine Center of Niagara.

The rebranding and expansion of the multidisciplinary practice means area residents will no longer have to travel long distances to receive a variety of services related to brain, spine and other neurological and orthopedic injuries and disorders.

"We are extremely pleased to announce the availability of these new services in the Greater Niagara region," Memorial President and CEO Joseph A. Ruffolo said.

The Spine Center Niagara opened in May 2005 as an innovative collaboration between nine private practice physicians who share clinical space and consultative resources. The approach is designed to save patients time and travel, treat them more efficiently and produce better outcomes.

The renamed center highlights the inclusion of several new physicians, including Michael Stoffman, M.D., the former chief neurosurgery resident at Yale University, who was recently appointed chief of neurosurgery at Memorial. Heading up the center's medical team with Dr. Stoffman are Medical Director Dr. David Bagnall, a physiatrist specializing in non-surgical spine management; and Spine Surgery Director Dr. Franco Vigna, an orthopedic spine surgeon.

Neurosurgical oncology and the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumors are among the new services to be offered at the center. The center's goal for both brain and spine patients is to return patients to the fullest function achievable using the most advanced and least invasive methods.

In addition, the New York State Department of Health has named Niagara Falls Memorial's ER1 Emergency Department as a participant, in partnership with the comprehensive Stroke Care Center at Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital (Buffalo), in the state's innovative new REACH Telemedicine stroke care program.

The Brain & Spine Center is the only hospital-based center of its kind in Western New York.

Patients referred to the Center will only need to undergo initial processing one time as part of an innovative triage procedure designed to ensure appropriate medical care at each step of the treatment and rehabilitation process. Based on a patient's symptoms and medical history, the process will enable the Center to schedule an initial appointment with the right type of doctor, whether that be a non-surgical spine management and rehabilitation specialist, neurologist, neurosurgeon, occupational health specialist, interventional radiologist, neurological surgeon or orthopedic spine surgeon.

If initial treatment indicates the need for a referral to another specialist, the patient can usually be seen by the new doctor in the same office -- where his or her records are already current and complete and where physicians can collaborate to chart the best course of treatment.

Patients for whom orthopedic surgery turns out to be the best option will have access to the most current technology and methods. Dr. Vigna, for example, participated in clinical trials involving artificial disc replacement and is one of the few physicians in the United States qualified as a training surgeon and clinical instructor in that emerging field.

Physical therapy services for Spine Center patients will be available in an adjoining suite at Memorial's recently expanded, state-of-the-art Summit Physical Therapy facility.

For information or to schedule an appointment with the Spine Center of Niagara, call (716) 629-3333.