Neurosurgery and Spinal Microsurgery in San Jose, CA

COVID update – outpatient clinic

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Brain Conditions

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Spine Conditions

  • Disc Herniation
  • Spinal Deformity
  • Spine Fractures
  • Spinal Stenosis
  • Spine Tumors
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Nerve Conditions

  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Nerve Tumors
  • Radiculopathy
  • Sciatica
  • Trigeminal Neuralgia
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They have been outstanding in every regard. Their focus has always been on the patient’s wellness and recovery.

K.M.

Cerbo Clinic is in-network with local provider networks and MediCare.

Most patients will have a co-pay and deductible. Hospitals may not be in-network with your insurance.

Ask your insurance ahead of time if they cover specialty surgery services, and what portion of your medical bills they cover.

Cerbo Clinic currently accepts

Aetna PPO

Blue Shield PPO

Cigna PPO

First Health

Medicare

United Healthcare PPO

Physicians Medical Group (PMG)

Santa Clara County Independent Physicians (SCCIPA)

Surgery causes pain because the surgeon has to go through skin and muscle tissue, and the nerves in these tissues can be quite sensitive.

It may hurt for a few days until healing kicks in. The degree of pain depends on the location and size of the incision, your baseline pain tolerance, and what medicine you take for the pain.

Cranial surgery and anterior spinal surgery cause little pain because there are fewer pain nerves. Posterior neck and back incisions may hurt more, depending on the dissection needed to fix the problem.

In general, smaller incisions hurt less and we routinely use minimally invasive microsurgery and tissue sparing technology.

Throughout the surgery experience, the anesthesia and nursing teams are highly attuned to keeping any post-surgical discomfort to a minimum.

Length of an operation depends on what needs to be fixed.

Craniotomy typically takes less than one hour to remove a brain bleed, a couple of hours for a cerebral aneurysm, and several hours to remove a skull base tumor.

Peripheral nerve surgery takes less than ten minutes for a carpal tunnel release for example.

Spine surgery takes less than an hour for a one level decompression or microdiscectomy. Spinal disc replacement may take up to two hours.

Some major spine surgeries such as open reduction and internal fixation of unstable spine fractures, spine cancer removal, or spinal deformity correction, may take several hours.

Patient size, age and baseline health play a major role in how fast it can go. Anesthesia preparation may take longer in some patients because of safety.

Your body will tell you when to resume activities. Early gradual return to previous activities is generally recommended, and usually safe once the incision has healed after a couple of weeks.

Any residual limitations will depend on the condition that led to surgery, any ongoing need for other treatments, your attitude and support at home, your nutritional status, your pre-surgery mobility status, and how much energy you have recovered.

We work closely with physical therapy and occupational therapy and rehab specialists who will assist you to return to life as quickly as possible.

Water activities including swimming and Jacuzzi should not be resumed until the skin has completely healed. No sunbathing or tanning for about a month after surgery.

Ask us about specific activities and limitations during your pre-op visit.

No nicotine for a full month before and after surgery because it causes problems with anesthesia and healing.

No blood thinners e.g. direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs, e.g. Eliquis/Pradaxa/Xarelto), warfarin/Coumadin, antiplatelet agents (Plavix, Aspirin) or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, e.g. naproxen or ibuprofen/Motrin/Advil) for at least one week prior to surgery.

Special protocols will be used for patients who need to continue on anticoagulation or antiplatelet drugs around time of surgery.

Nothing per mouth (NPO) after midnight prior to surgery. This includes no eating, no drinking liquids, no chewing gum or tobacco, and no smoking.

Anesthesia will not be safe if you do any of these things in the hours leading up to surgery, because eating or chewing cause your stomach to produce acid. That stomach acid may end up in your lungs during intubation, which can be fatal.

Prescription medicines may be taken, if deemed necessary by your prescribing doctor, with a small sip of water the morning of surgery.

A thorough whole body shower and hair wash with antiseptic soap and shampoo (Hibiclens etc) is recommended the night before, or in the morning of surgery, to cut down on skin bacteria and to minimize the risks of post-operative infections.

COVID-19 vaccination must be complete for any elective surgeries, and infection status will be checked prior to anesthesia.