Comprehensive Treatment
for Diaphragm Disorders in NYC
Comprehensive Treatment
for Diaphragm Disorders in NYC
Located in NYC at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, the Diaphragm Center offers advanced diagnosis and treatment for diaphragm paralysis, including diaphragm plication surgery and related procedures.
The Columbia Diaphragm Center Mission Statement
Our program’s goal is to provide the most comprehensive and advanced care to our patients suffering from electro-mechanical and anatomic diaphragm disorders. We strive to develop the most innovative and clinically helpful diagnostic and treatment approaches to these disorders and to improve the respiratory function of our patients.
Our team has over 30 years of experience in this field, which includes highly complex and advanced treatment for patients with respiratory insufficiency. This includes diaphragm and chest wall disorders, electro-mechanical disorders of breathing, lung volume reduction surgery, air way reconstruction, and lung transplantation. We are one of the most advanced and experienced centers in the world in the area of lung failure.
It is important for patients to understand that we have been performing phrenic nerve repair and reconstructive surgery, phrenic nerve pacing, diaphragm reconstruction, and diaphragm plication for over 30 years. All of phrenic nerve surgeries are performed by neurosurgeons who specialize in the treatment of peripheral nerve injuries. In addition, all patients are also evaluated by specialists in the treatment of lung failure ensuring that the proper clinical decisions are made concerning the best options for therapy for any individual. Further, we have been performing and teaching phrenic nerve pacing for over 30 years. Our pacing surgeries are routinely performed using minimally invasive surgical techniques with great care for proper patient selection.
We have also been performing diaphragm plication and reconstructive diaphragm surgery also for over 30 years. Our diaphragm plications and reconstructions are routinely performed minimally invasively. This is critical to maximizing the improvement in respiratory function after surgery. Open thoracotomy surgery damages important muscles of respiration and great care must be taken to avoid this approach. In addition, we have developed multiple technical and physiological advances to these procedures that have improved their results, including lung remodeling and reducing adversarial abdominal forces.
If you want the most advanced, comprehensive, and experienced opinions for diaphragm and phrenic nerve disorders, then we would be honored to evaluate you.
treatments
Conditions we treat
Phrenic Nerve Repair
We have been performing phrenic nerve repair and reconstructive surgery at Columbia University Medical Center for over 30 years. All of phrenic nerve surgeries are performed by neurosurgeons who specialize in the treatment of peripheral nerve injuries. Additionally, all of our patients are evaluated by specialists in the treatment of lung failure ensuring that the proper decisions are made concerning the best therapy for any individual.
Dr. Christopher J. Winfree leads our phrenic nerve surgical section. Dr. Winfree is a neurosurgeon with an expertise in peripheral nerve surgery, peripheral nerve cancer surgery, nerve and muscle biopsies, pain neurosurgery, and spasticity. His research interests include the use of peripheral nerve transfers to treat spinal cord injury, and the use of neurostimulation to treat chronic pain disorders.
He is a member of several different professional organizations, including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), American College of Surgeons (ACS), New York State Neurosurgical Society, North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS), Neurosurgical Society of America (NSA), New York Presbyterian Society of the Alumni, Society of Neurological Surgeons (SNS) Boot Camp Committee, and the CNS Self-Assessment in Neurological Surgery (SANS) Editorial Board. He recently completed his term as President of the AANS / CNS Joint Section on Pain.
Phrenic Nerve Pacing
We have been performing phrenic nerve pacing surgery at Columbia University Medical Center for over 30 years. All of phrenic nerve pacing surgeries are performed by thoracic surgeons who specialize in the treatment of lung failure. Dr. Mark Ginsburg and Dr. Audrey Pendleton lead our phrenic nerve pacing surgical section. Dr. Ginsburg and Dr. Pendleton are thoracic surgeons with advanced expertise in lung failure, diaphragm disorders, and minimally invasive and robot surgery.
Diaphragm Plication and Reconstruction
We have been performing diaphragm plication for diaphragm paralysis at Columbia University Medical Center for over 30 years. All of diaphragm plication surgeries are performed by thoracic surgeons who specialize in the treatment of lung failure and minimally invasive and robotic surgery. Dr. Mark Ginsburg and Dr. Audrey Pendleton lead our diaphragm plication and reconstructive surgical section. In addition, we have a special interest in re-do diaphragm surgery and in advanced techniques in lung remodeling and abdominal decompression therapy for improving respiratory function in patients suffering from these disorders.
Additionally, we have had extensive experience in the minimally invasive repair of Morgagni and Bochdalek hernias and of para-esophageal hernias.
Meet our team
Specialist Doctors
Christopher Winfree
Neurosurgery
Director of Phrenic Nerve Surgery at Columbia University Medical Center
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Robert Adison
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