Dr. Steven L. Giannotta at USC Part of New Acoustic Neuroma Center

[Little_Bear]

Hello,

I was just wondering if anybody has had Dr. Steven L. Giannotta perform an AN removal? I'm sure that since he is working at USC with Dr. Friedman that he is excellent I'm just curious if anybody has any personal experience with him.

[adamsse]

Unfortunately I won't be able to answer your question, but I'm considering him and Dr. Friedman as well.  I'm just recently diagnosed so I'm still researching my options in southern CA.  I'm finding that the most important work I'm doing now is to make sure my insurance company has them in network, and if not use the open enrollment period we just started at my company to switch providers who do have them in network.  Good luck! 

[Little_Bear]

Hello,

I too had to change insurance in order to have Dr. Friedman in network. My Middle Fossa surgery with Dr. Friedman is scheduled in the beginning of December. My tumor is a little smaller than a pea (roughly 3-4mm by 4-5mm) and so my prognosis is good, with lower risks of complications. I hope you manage to figure out your insurance networking and decide to go with Dr. Friedman.  After speaking with Dr. Friedman myself, there is no doubt that he is the one and only Dr. that I would choose for this procedure. I wish you good luck!

[MikeW]

We are considering Friedman and Giannotta for my husband who has a AN about 2.3cm.  He had translab surgery in Omaha Dec. 20, 2012 and the doctors only removed 10% of the tumor.  We were devastated and the doctor did not have a good explanation of why he didn't remove more.  A friend of mine had surgery 4 years ago by Friedman and Schwartz and had a 3cm AN and only a sliver remained after her surgery and she was pleased.  Unfortunately, her AN started growing slowly 4 years after the surgery.  She is now considering GK.  My husbands 9 month post op MRI showed his tumor is growing so we need to do something soon.  Schwartz is not covered under our insurance and Friedman and Giannotta are.  We live in Dallas and are also consulting with Mickey and Kutz there.  I have complete confidence that Friedman has great experience, but am unsure of Giannotta's experience with ANs.  I have heard the Giannotta is an amazing neurosurgeon, but we need a surgeon who has had lots of experience with translab surgery on ANs.  We feel a little burned since I feel our doctor in Omaha was deceptive.  We asked him about his experience and only after the surgery found out he had lots of Retro Sigmoid experience but not translab experience.  I would love to hear from someone who has had AN surgery from Giannotta.  Blessings to both of you.

[Little_Bear]

Hello,

I'm sorry to hear about your husbands troubles of having to go through surgery again. I completely understand your dilemma. I have a Middle Fossa surgery scheduled with Dr. Friedman and Dr. Giannotta on December 10th. I feel confident in their team expertise. Hopefully, you will find peace in your decision as well.

[areles]

Hi - bumping this topic to see if anyone who went with Dr. Friedman and Giannotta can weigh in on their experiences?

[rachaelginger]

My spouse just got her almost 3 cm AN removed by Friedman/Giannotta with amazing results on February 17, 2016.  They were able to remove 100% of the tumor and not compromise the facial nerve at all. She did lose her hearing in the left ear but we consider this a small price to pay for the amazing results she has received. From the time we picked up the phone Kris, the AN patient coordinator at USC guided through every step of the way. They accommodated our request to have surgery quickly ( within three weeks of diagnosis) and scheduled all prep-op and post- op appointments easily. The Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists, both inpatient and outpatient, were top notch and the nursing staff was very responsive. In ICU she had her own nurse and in the step down before discharge her nurse only had 2 other patients. We felt very well cared for and now a little over a week post-op things are going well. Ginger has ditched the walker, and is getting better and better at turning her head. We feel very, very grateful for not only the excellent care, but for the kindness and support shown to us from everyone at USC.