Washington Regional added four more highly skilled physicians to its Northwest Arkansas Neuroscience Institute in 2014. Joining neurosurgeons Dr. Larry Armstrong and Dr. Brandon Evans were Dr. John Barr, Dr. Mahan Ghiassi and Dr. Mayshan Ghiassi; joining as stroke neurologist was Dr. Margaret Tremwel. With Arkansas claiming the nation’s highest rate of death from stroke, it is important for our community to have access to advanced neurosurgical options and stroke treatment.

As part of a neuroscience expansion last year, Washington Regional introduced a treatment known as endovascular neurosurgery to Northwest Arkansas. Through the use of catheter technology and radiological imaging, endovascular neurosurgery provides patients with minimally invasive treatment options for various disorders — such as stroke, cerebral aneurysm and arteriovenous malformation — that in the past have required complex open surgeries. Plus, Washington Regional completed construction of an innovative hybrid operating suite — the first in Northwest Arkansas — dedicated primarily to the treatment of stroke and other brain disorders. The suite is designed to accommodate both endovascular and conventional neurological surgeries, ensuring that patients have access to the latest in cerebrovascular surgery options.

Today, Washington Regional offers:

• The only neurosurgeons in Northwest Arkansas who perform brain surgery
• The only program in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley to provide cerebral aneurysm surgery and care
• The area’s only fellowship-trained complex spine neurosurgeons
• The only program in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley to provide acute interventional stroke treatment