Center for the Treatment of Paralysis & Reconstructive Nerve Surgery
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At the Center for Treatment of Paralysis and Reconstructive Nerve Surgery, we’ve created a world-class team using advanced surgical treatment options for conditions such as diaphragmatic paralysis, foot drop, brachial plexus, pudendal neuralgia, neuropathy and more. Our goal is to improve the quality of life for patients with nerve damage and paralysis due to a condition, traumatic injury or surgery. We have helped thousands of patients from around the world with debilitating conditions reclaim their lives through highly specialized procedures.
At the Center for Treatment of Paralysis and Reconstructive Nerve Surgery, we’ve created a world-class team using advanced surgical treatment options for conditions such as diaphragmatic paralysis, foot drop, brachial plexus, pudendal neuralgia, neuropathy and more. Our goal is to improve the quality of life for patients with nerve damage and paralysis due to a condition, traumatic injury or surgery. We have helped thousands of patients from around the world with debilitating conditions reclaim their lives through highly specialized procedures.
Services Offered
- Pioneered by Dr. Matthew Kaufman, phrenic nerve reconstruction is a world-class treatment for phrenic nerve injury to reverse diaphragm paralysis. Dr. Kaufman grafts nerves from the patient’s calf and uses them to bypass the damaged phrenic nerves and reroute them in the neck to support a new phrenic nerve. A majority of patients experience a degree of recovery, allowing them to resume activities that require effort and exertion while improving sleep efficiency.
- Diaphragm pacemaker surgery is an optionfor those who are oxygen- or ventilator-dependent, such as those with high spinal cord injury or ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Our surgeons are amongst the few in the world that perform diaphragm pacemaker implantation in select patients with unilateral or bilateral diaphragm paralysis due to phrenic nerve injury. We have vast experience in combining pacemakers with nerve reconstruction to optimize recovery in the most complex cases of diaphragm paralysis. The surgeon places electrodes around the nerves to the diaphragm, or directly into the muscle, which aids breathing and successful ventilator weaning in 89% of patients.
- Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) isa minimally invasive technique for patients who are ventilator-dependent or who struggle to perform daily tasks while breathing normally. Using a tiny camera and surgical tools, the surgeon can:
- Reconstruct phrenic nerves to restore breathing function;
- Suture the diaphragm into a lower position to allow air to flow easily through the lungs;
- Repair diaphragmatic hernias.
- Diaphragm muscle replacement surgery may be appropriate for patients who are not candidates for phrenic nerve surgery or diaphragm pacemakers. This procedure involves transferring healthy muscle from the patient’s body into the chest cavity, effectively replacing the irreversibly damaged diaphragm and restoring functional breathing activity
Why Choose Us
We are among the few centers in the world that specialize in many of these procedures. Thousands of patients from all over the world have traveled to Jersey Shore University Medical Center to find relief from these debilitating conditions. Matthew Kaufman, M.D., pioneered the life-changing phrenic nerve reconstruction procedure that reverses diaphragm paralysis and restores breathing functionality.
We’re experts in performing diaphragmatic pacemaker surgery, which helps patients breathe independently, without long-term ventilator support. These procedures have brought successful outcomes to 89% of patients.
Our surgeons are also amongst the few in the world to specialize in brachial plexus nerve surgeries and nerve decompression surgery for neuropathy.
We offer hope to those for whom all other treatments have failed or who have been told “nothing can be done.”
Care Coordination for Traveling Patients
The Center at Jersey Shore University Medical Center treats patients from around the U.S and throughout the world and has been recognized for excellence in caring for our traveling patients through attaining the prestigious Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) for Medical Travel Services. We understand the difficulties of managing your health care alone, especially far away from home. We offer virtual visits and remain in close contact with patients’ providers in their home states or countries to ensure well coordinated care. We also offer Concierge Care, a complimentary service that caters to patient and guest requests, including hotel reservations, transportation and language assistance.
Learn more about our Global Health Program for patients wishing to access our treatment and care from other countries.
Meet the Team
At the Center for the Treatment of Paralysis & Reconstructive Nerve Surgery at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, you will be cared for by a team of expert, board-certified physicians led by Matthew Kaufman, M.D.
