Neurological care

Our hospital is recognized by DNV Healthcare as a Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) for consistently providing high-quality care during the most complex cardiac events. As the first in New Hampshire to earn this distinction, we are still just one of two such facilities in the state.

If you have a stroke and require additional support, we offer inpatient and outpatient treatment through our neuro day rehabilitation program.

At our hospital's brain aneurysm clinic, our interventional neuroradiologists can diagnose, treat and manage your specific condition. If your brain aneurysm ruptures, it can cause bleeding in the brain. This outcome is known as a hemorrhagic stroke, which can become life-threatening if not treated as quickly as possible.

We provide multiple brain aneurysm treatments, including:

• Brain aneurysm surveillance and screening program — Enables noninvasive monitoring of your brain aneurysm
• Cerebral angiography — Diagnoses blood vessel abnormalities, including brain aneurysms, AVMs and arthrosclerosis
• Coil embolization — Insertion of small platinum coils through catheters, filling your aneurysm and preventing it from rupturing
• Dural fistula embolization — Treats abnormal connections between the arteries and veins in the brain's outer covering using minimally invasive techniques
• Flow diversion stent — Diverts the flow of blood away from your aneurysm to reduce its size and seal it
• Intracranial aneurysm device — Metal, mesh plug used to block blood flow to your aneurysm

To schedule an appointment at our clinic, please call (603) 433-4857.

With your participation in outpatient physical rehabilitation, we can help you prevent, treat and manage pain for migraines and chronic headaches. We treat many types of related conditions, including tension, sinus, rebound, cluster and migraine headaches. Our goals are to:

• Anticipate your headaches
• Identify triggers and minimize your risks
• Reduce the frequency and severity of headaches

Using the latest research, we design diagnostic and treatment options that are tailored to you. We offer lifestyle adjustments, medication, physical therapy, injection referrals and holistic care services. Additionally, we can help you develop pain management techniques.

Chronic headaches

Persistent headaches, or unusual migraine symptoms, may require specialized care. You should make an appointment with your doctor if you experience:

• Changes in symptoms leading to a migraine
• Headache from coughing, sneezing, bending over or having sex
• Headache that appears suddenly, lingers, gets worse or interferes with your daily activities
• Headache that doesn't improve with over-the-counter (OTC) medication or requires pain relievers more than two days a week
• Headache that lingers or begins after a head injury or other trauma
• Headache with any new symptoms, including confusion, dizziness, fever, numbness, persistent vomiting, shortness of breath, slurred speech, neck stiffness, continuous diarrhea, vision loss, weakness or unexpected ear, nose, or throat manifestations
• More than one occasional headache

Seek immediate medical attention or go to the emergency room if:

• You are experiencing your worst migraine ever
• Your headache lingers for 72 hours with fewer than four pain-free hours
• Your headache lingers with vision loss, uncontrolled vomiting or loss of consciousness
• Your symptoms are unusual or frightening

We are the only hospital in the region — and one of two in the state — to provide deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatment for movement disorders. Offering improvement without damaging brain tissue, DBS can help reduce tremors and involuntary movements that are caused by Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, dystonia and MS.

DBS treatment

If you don’t experience symptom improvement with medication, you may be approved for DBS. You may see a significant reduction in symptoms with DBS alone, or we might need to complement this treatment with medication.

Prior to your DBS procedure, our doctors will use CT or MRI scans to pinpoint the exact locations in your brain where electrical nerve signals trigger your tremors. Additionally, your neurological specialist will implant a neurostimulator — a battery-powered device similar to a pacemaker —into your chest.

The neurostimulator is programmed once it's been implanted. Through wire electrodes, it delivers electrical stimulation to specific areas of the brain to block abnormal, tremor-causing nerve signals. As your condition changes, we can adjust the level of stimulation.

DBS, while effective, isn’t for everyone. If you’re interested, please consult with your doctor to determine if it's the right option for you.

Our spine care team is committed to helping restore your health and quality of life. We evaluate your condition and lifestyle, enabling us to recommend the safest, most appropriate treatment options possible.

Spinal treatments

Our spine surgeons use the latest techniques to stabilize joints, decompress pinched nerves, fuse bones and correct abnormalities. We can perform a wide range of spinal procedures, including:

• Discectomy and microdiscectomy — Removal of the disc or cushion between vertebrae
• Disc replacement — Replacement of your damaged disc with an artificial one
• Foraminotomy — Bone or tissue removal to open the space where nerves leave the spinal canal
• Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty — Treatment of spinal fractures to reduce pain and restore height
• Laminectomy or laminotomy — Removal of part of the backbone covering the spinal canal to relieve pressure on spinal nerves
• Spinal cord fusion — Surgical implantation of a pain pump to block pain messages to the brain
• Spinal fusion — Joining of two vertebrae with bone grafts or implants to increase spine stability

There are also various nonsurgical and minimally invasive spine treatments we provide, such as:

• Integrative services
• Interventional spine procedures
• Nerve stimulation techniques
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation
• Spinal injections

For your convenience, you can register online for your procedure to save time on the day of your appointment.