Alain C.J. de Lotbinière, M.D., C.M., F.A.C.S., F.R.C.S.C, of Stamford, CT and Armonk, NY resident Thomas Lansen, M.D., F.A.C.S., both principals of Brain & Spine Surgeons of New York in White Plains, were named to Westchester magazine’s annual list of the county’s “top doctors” in the November 2009 issue, the only neurosurgeons named this year. The seven neurosurgeons and one orthopedic spinal surgeon at Brain & Spine Surgeons of New York have consistently received awards of excellence, making it the premier private neurosurgical practice in the New York metropolitan area.
Westchester magazine’s “top doctors” list is compiled by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., a healthcare research and information company founded in 1991 to help guide consumers to America’s top doctors and top hospitals. Castle Connolly’s established survey and research process involves tens of thousands of outstanding physicians and the medical leadership of the best hospitals.
Both Dr. Lansen and Dr. de Lotbinière are experts in gamma knife surgery and serve as co-directors of the Gamma Knife Center at Northern Westchester Hospital Center in Mount Kisco. Gamma Knife surgery is a technique to noninvasively target brain tumors, vascular malformations and neural structures.
In addition to being an internationally recognized expert in Gamma Knife surgery, Dr. de Lotbinière specializes in functional neurosurgery, a branch of neurosurgery utilized to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, and Tourette’s syndrome, among other disorders. He also treats pain of spinal origin and craniofacial pain, such as trigeminal neuralgia.
Dr. de Lotbinière joined BSSNY as a principal in 2006, after spending 17 years at Yale University School of Medicine (YSM), where he was director of stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, director of pituitary surgery, and medical director of Gamma Knife surgery. He was an associate professor of neurology at YSM, where he created a program for stereotactic and functional neurosurgery as well as radiosurgery.
With a national reputation for properly diagnosing and surgically treating nerve disorders such as trigeminal neuralgia, Dr. de Lotbinière brings peace of mind to patients who have long searched for answers before coming to him. “For example, people often have teeth pulled or are treated for TMJ [temporomandibular joint syndrome] when the cause of their symptoms is actually trigeminal neuralgia, which causes sudden shock-like facial pains, typically near the nose, lips, eyes or ears,” he explains.
Dr. de Lotbinière earned his undergraduate degree from Columbia University and completed his medical school and subsequent training at McGill University School of Medicine in Montreal, Quebec. He completed a fellowship at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, England. He is certified in neurosurgery by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and by the American Board of Neurological Surgery. In addition, he is medical director of the Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center at Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH) and a past president of the International Gamma Knife Society.
Dr. Lansen, a board-certified neurosurgeon for more than 25 years, is skilled in using techniques that allow him to operate more precisely and less invasively. “There have been dramatic advances in neurosurgical devices and technology, such as the gamma knife and stereotactic navigation. These advances allow us to treat patients more effectively as well as reduce recovery time and post-operative discomfort,” he notes.
Well known in his field, Dr. Lansen is the chief of neurosurgery at Northern Westchester Hospital Center, and has served as chief of neurosurgery at Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Yonkers, Sound Shore Medical Center in New Rochelle, and Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. He served as acting chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery of New York Medical College in Valhalla, where he continues to teach as an associate professor. He is also an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven.
Dr. Lansen received his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin. He completed his internship in General Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and his residency in Neurological Surgery at the University of Florida Medical Center. Dr. Lansen is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.
About the Practice
Brain & Spine Surgeons of New York (BSSNY), the oldest and largest neurosurgery private practice group in Westchester County and one of the largest in the New York metropolitan area, has been in existence for over twenty-five years. With seven board-certified neurosurgeons and one orthopedic spine surgeon, BSSNY is a leader in brain and spinal surgery in the New York metropolitan area. For more information, the public is invited to visit www.bssny.com or call 914-948-6688.
