Dr. Oliveria with Patient at Functional Neurosurgery Center

Providence Functional Neurosurgery Center

2351.3 miles away
503-216-1055

Providence Functional Neurosurgery Center

If you are living with a neurological or movement disorder, your symptoms can disrupt your quality of life. We understand the frustration and stress you might feel when seizures or tremors make it tough to complete daily tasks and enjoy the activities you love.

The Functional Neurosurgery Center team at Providence St. Vincent uses a collaborative approach to explore treatment options and find the right care for you. The functional neurosurgery team includes experts in: 

  • Epilepsy 
  • Movement disorder neurology 
  • Neuropsychology 
  • Neurosurgery 
  • Nurse coordination 
  • Psychiatry 
  • Rehabilitation 
  • Social services

When you come to the Functional Neurosurgery Center, you work with a diverse team of specialists. We talk with you about your condition and how we can treat your symptoms. 

Functional neurosurgery treats neurological conditions that stop responding to medicines. Our neurosurgeons pinpoint the areas in the nervous system or brain where your symptoms begin. We use specialized procedures to disrupt the abnormal electrical signals that cause movement disorders or seizures. 

We provide advanced surgical treatment and symptom management for patients with: 

  • Dystonia
  • Epilepsy
  • Essential tremor
  • Parkinson’s disease

Our functional neurosurgery team uses the best procedure or surgery for your specific condition. Treatment options include: 

  • Deep brain stimulation (DBS)
    Your neurosurgeon implants a small device under the skin in your chest. The device sends electrical signals to the brain areas causing your symptoms. These signals prevent the abnormal brain messages that cause shaking, stiffness and tremors. Read more about deep brain stimulation.
  • Refractory epilepsy surgery
    Once your care team identifies the area of your brain where seizures begin, it can be removed or inactivated. Your doctor can surgically remove the brain section (craniotomy) or burn it with a laser (stereotactic laser ablation). Read more about epilepsy surgery.
  • Responsive neurostimulation
    Similar to deep brain stimulation, your surgeon implants a small programable device your brain. The device monitors your brain activity, detects abnormal signals that could cause a seizure and sends electrical pulses to prevent a seizure.
  • Vagus nerve stimulation
    This procedure helps prevent seizures. Your doctor implants a small device under the skin of your chest. A wire is threaded from the device under your skin to the left vagus nerve. When activated, the device sends electrical signals along the vagus nerve to your brainstem, which then sends signals to certain specific areas in your brain.

Your neurologist and neurosurgeon will help you decide if surgery is right for you. If you choose to have surgery, we take extra care to meet all your needs: 

  • Nurse coordinators communicate with you often — before and after surgery.  
  • We streamline the pre-surgery screening process. 
  • We do whatever we can to reduce stress for you and your family.  
  • We facilitate recovery after surgery. 
  • We minimize transportation burdens if you are traveling to Portland for surgery by: 
    • Finding local pre-surgery screening options for you  
    • Coordinating appointments with other providers close to your home 

At the Providence Brain and Spine Institute, we value our network of referring physicians and make every effort to partner with providers and tailor treatment and surgery for each patient.

It is our goal to be your partner as your patient goes through surgery, and to transition the patient back to your care once appropriate. And for patients traveling a significant distance to Portland, we seek to minimize transportation burdens by coordinating appointments across disciplines in one visit.

Learn More and Get Information About Our Programs

Learn More About Your Surgical Treatments Options

  • DBS Education

    Learn about the Deep Brain Stimulation procedure from Dr. Seth Oliveria, Director of Functional Neurosurgery for Providence Brain and Spine Institute and The Oregon Clinic. This presentation is intended for people who are considering DBS or looking to gain more information before committing to surgery.

  • Surgical Treatments for Epilepsy

    Join Dr. Seth Oliveria, medical director of Functional Neurosurgery at Providence Brain and Spine Institute, for a discussion on surgical treatments for Epilepsy and seizures.

Find a Doctor

At Providence, you'll have access to a vast network of dedicated and compassionate providers who offer personalized care by focusing on treatment, prevention and health education.

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Providence Brain and Spine Institute of Oregon

The Providence Brain and Spine Institute is a comprehensive, integrated center of excellence that treats all conditions of the brain and spine. We are the leading provider of neurological care in Oregon committed to making a positive difference in every life we touch. Our patients are at the center of everything we do. See a complete list of conditions we treat and learn more about the care we offer.