BrainSUITE

This sophisticated operating room makes brain tumor surgeries less invasive, safer and more effective. learn more

Clot Retrieval

This minimally invasive procedure widens the time window for stroke treatment to up to 12 hours.
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From spinal disorders to stroke, we treat - and beat - them all.

No other hospital in North Texas offers more comprehensive neurosciences care. That means you can trust The Medical Center of Plano with any type of brain or spine condition - medical or traumatic, chronic or acute. We encourage you to educate yourself about your illness, and write down your questions. There's a good chance NeuroLink™ is part of the answer.

Brain Aneurysm

A bulging, weak area in the wall of an artery that supplies blood to the brain. In most cases, a brain aneurysm causes no symptoms and goes unnoticed. In rare cases, the brain aneurysm ruptures, releasing blood into the skull and causing a hemorrhagic stroke.

NeuroLink performs cutting-edge coiling and clipping procedures to repair or remove brain aneurysms.

Brain Tumor

A group of abnormal cells that grow in or around the brain. Tumors can directly destroy healthy brain cells. They can also indirectly damage healthy cells by crowding other parts of the brain and causing inflammation, brain swelling and pressure within the skull.

At NeuroLink, we employ the most sophisticated technology available, such as the BrainSUITE iMRI, to treat tumors and other lesions in the skull base that were thought to be inoperable. Learn more about brain tumor neurosurgery.

Epilepsy

A group of related disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent seizures - abnormal movement or behavior due to unusual electrical activity in the brain. Epilepsy drugs are prescribed to control seizures, and rarely surgery is necessary if medications are ineffective. Learn more.

Headache

Pain in various parts of the head. There are several different types of headache, including:

Lou Gehrig's Disease

Also referred to as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Lou Gehrig's disease causes certain nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to slowly die. These nerve cells are called motor neurons, and they control the muscles that allow you to move the parts of your body.

People with ALS gradually become more disabled. How quickly the disease worsens is different for everyone. Some people live with ALS for several years. But, over time, ALS makes it hard to walk, speak, eat, swallow and breathe. These problems can lead to injury, illness and eventually death. Learn more.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

A chronic, disabling disease of the central nervous system, affecting the brain and spinal cord. The disease causes loss of muscle control, vision, balance and sensation (such as numbness). MS is an autoimmune disease, meaning that the nerves of the brain and spinal cord are damaged by one's own immune system. Learn more.

Nerve Injury

Nerves are fragile and can be damaged by pressure, stretching or cutting. Injury to a nerve can stop signals to and from the brain, causing muscles not to work properly, and a loss of feeling in the injured area.

Parkinson's Disease

A gradually progressive, degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, causing tremors at rest, balance problems, stiffness and slowness of movement. The disease is caused by a loss of nerve cells in the brain. Learn more.

Peripheral Neuropathy

The conditions that result when nerves that connect to the brain and spinal cord from the rest of the body are damaged or diseased. Types of peripheral neuropathy include carpal tunnel syndrome (an injury common after chronic repetitive use of the hands and wrists, such as computer use) to Guillain-Barre syndrome (a rare, sudden paralysis). Learn more.

NeuroLink employs the latest electroneurodiagnostic technology to evaluate patients with peripheral neuropathy.

Pituitary Tumor

An abnormal growth of cells within the pituitary gland, a pea-sized organ in the center of the brain, just above the back of the nose. Most pituitary tumors are benign, grow slowly and don't spread to other parts of the body. However, they can make the pituitary gland produce either too many or too few hormones, which can cause problems such as Cushing's disease and acromegaly. Learn more.

At NeuroLink, we employ the most sophisticated technology available, such as the BrainSUITE iMRI, to treat pituitary and brain tumors in the skull base that were thought to be inoperable. Learn more about brain tumor neurosurgery.

Post-Herpetic Neuralgia

The nerve pain that sometimes lingers after an attack of shingles. Symptoms are:

Aching, burning, stabbing pain in the area of the earlier shingles rash
Persistent pain that may linger for years
Extreme sensitivity to touch

The pain associated with post-herpetic neuralgia most commonly affects the forehead or chest. This pain may make it difficult for the person to eat, sleep and perform daily activities. It may also lead to depression.

Sleep Disorders

Problems with sleep including:

Sleep apnea - When a person's breathing is interrupted during sleep. People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times. This means the brain - and the rest of the body - may not get enough oxygen. Learn more.
Insomnia - When someone has difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep. People with insomnia often wake up during the night and have trouble going back to sleep, wake up too early in the morning, and feel tired upon waking. Learn more.
Hypersomnia - A condition marked by excessive daytime sleepiness. People with hypersomnia can fall asleep at any time; for instance, at work or while driving. They may also have a lack of energy and trouble thinking clearly.
Narcolepsy - A neurological disorder that affects the control of sleep and wakefulness. People with narcolepsy experience excessive daytime sleepiness and intermittent, uncontrollable episodes of falling asleep during the daytime. These sudden sleep attacks may occur during any type of activity at any time of the day. For people suffering from narcolepsy, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep occurs almost immediately in the sleep cycle as well as periodically during the waking hours. It is in REM sleep that we can experience dreams and muscle paralysis, which explains some of the symptoms of narcolepsy - hallucinations, sleep paralysis, cataplexy and excessive daytime sleepiness. Learn more.
Restless legs syndrome - A disorder related to sensation and movement. People with restless legs syndrome have an unpleasant feeling or sensation in their legs when they lie down to sleep. Most people also have a very strong urge to move their legs, and moving the legs sometimes makes them feel better. However, all this movement makes it hard or impossible to get enough sleep. Learn more.

NeuroLink offers a comprehensive array of tests and treatments to combat any sleep disorder. Learn more about our sleep disorder care.

Spinal Disorders

Spinal cord disorders can be caused by injury, congenital deformities, tumors, infections, disease, or the degenerative effects of aging. As the control center for the musculoskeletal system in conjunction with the brain, any pain or loss of function in this area can lead to devastating consequences in a patient’s quality of life.

NeuroLink's doctors emphasize leading-edge spine treatments that are the most effective while also decreasing healing time for patients. We offer the highest level of expertise in treating the full spectrum of spinal disorders, including:

Stroke

A stroke (or "brain attack") occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it starts to die.

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Did you know ...

Stroke is the third-leading killer in the United States, right after heart disease and cancer. That's about 1 of every 18 deaths, and more than 137,000 people a year.
Stroke is the No. 1 cause for nursing home admissions.
Half of all stroke victims experience no warning signs before a stroke occurs.
About 800,000 Americans suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. On average, that's one person every 40 seconds.
On average, someone dies from a stroke every 4 minutes.
Stroke costs the U.S. healthcare system more than $70 billion each year.
Nine out of 10 stroke survivors sustain long-term impairment.

There are two basic types of stroke ...

Ischemic: As the most common type (86 percent of all strokes), ischemic strokes occur when a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked by plaque or a blood clot and prevents oxygen and blood from getting to the brain. When this occurs, blood vessels begin to die within four to six minutes. Every minute after a stroke, about 1.9 million brain cells die. The Medical Center of Plano is the first and only hospital in Collin County to provide breakthrough procedures that potentially reverse brain damage from ischemic strokes up to 12 hours after the onset of symptoms.
Hemorrhagic: This is a bleeding type of stroke, which occurs because of a ruptured aneurysm or arteriovenous malformation (AVM) - an abnormal tangle of blood vessels. To repair or remove ruptured aneurysms, NeuroLink performs cutting-edge, endovascular coiling and clipping procedures. To treat ruptured AVMs, we perform sophisticated AVM surgical resection, as well as endovascular AVM embolization.

Are you having a stroke? Know the warning signs ...
There is no such thing as a typical stroke patient. Each person experiences unique symptoms ... or perhaps no symptoms at all. During an acute stroke, almost 2 million brain cells die each minute. That means every second counts.

Because early detection is crucial for surviving a stroke and preventing permanent brain damage, you must call 911 right away if you or a loved one experience any of these warning signs:

Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg - especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

Learn more about stroke. Learn about the state-of-the-art stroke care at NeuroLink. Or, for further reference, visit www.StrokeAssociation.org.

Traumatic Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs from a blow or jolt to the head severe enough to disrupt normal brain function.