St. Vincent launches neurosurgery institute

By The Associated Press

A recently launched neuroscience institute at the St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center could make Little Rock an important center for brain surgery, the hospital said Monday.

The institute’s three doctors began performing adult surgeries at St. Vincent in October. They work independently of the hospital’s neurosurgery department which has been operating for decades.

Dr. Ali Krisht, a former professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and one of the three staff at the institute, said other physicians would come there for training. Krisht hoped the expansion at St. Vincent would mean less travel for people seeking treatment.

“It’s good when you have more options for patients,” Krisht said.

St. Vincent Health System President and CEO Peter D. Banko said Krisht and institute colleague Dr. Ossama Al-Mefty are known for their success in treating rare tumors and aneurysms, and that the institute has patients booked from several foreign countries.

The institute will draw patients to Little Rock “for care that you cannot get anywhere else,” Banko said. “We think there is more to come ... that will make Little Rock the hub in the country for neurocare.”

The third resident, Dr. Ian Dunn, trained under Al-Mefty at UAMS and has already been working at the institute for a year. Banko said he hoped St. Vincent can persuade Dunn to stay on.

Krisht said the institute’s physicians will continue performing pediatric neurosurgery at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

Al-Mefty and Krisht also specialize in skull-base surgery, cerebral aneurysm, neuro-oncology, epilepsy and treatment of other conditions.

Banko recalled struggling to line up home care for his father when he was dying of brain cancer, and said he aimed to support family members in addition to treating the patients to help make the experience less trying.

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