What We Do
Dr. Koga is joined at Koga Neurosurgery by a highly trained staff who take a collective, no-shortcuts approach to patient care.
“Our team all has one goal—doing what’s best for our patients,” says Dr. Koga. “When patients call, they talk to someone who knows who they are and what they’re going through. Taking this dedicated personalized approach is not easy, but it’s the right thing to do for our patients.”
Dr. Koga’s small staff includes Amanda Nelson, Clinical Coordinator Nurse, Rachel Englert, Surgical Coordinator Nurse, and Katherine Alleyne, Physician Assistant, all of whom participate in the patient’s care from start to finish—from appointment scheduling to intake and triage, authorizations and clearances. This ensures a seamless and cohesive experience for patients facing often intimidating and complicated diagnoses.
“Suffering with a neurological condition is scary—the last thing you want is to be placed in a large, cold, overwhelming hospital environment,” says Nelson. “Our comfortable clinic helps patients feel at ease and focus on improvement. We aim to make sure our patients feel confident in their team-based decision for surgical or nonsurgical intervention.”
Once a patient understands their condition, Dr. Koga’s team takes care to help them understand their treatment options, whether that consists of gamma knife radiosurgery, cerebrovascular surgery, spine surgery or conservative, nonsurgical care.
“When patients come here, they are often most thankful for the level of education they receive,” says Alleyne. “We sit down with each patient and spend time reviewing the anatomy and show them what aspects of their brain and spine are normal and where there may be a problem. We then discuss all of their options, working as best we can to get patients exactly what they need.”
No matter how advanced Dr. Koga’s treatments and technologies become—he is currently developing a non-invasive sensor that monitors intracranial pressure as a new vital sign—his patients can rest assured they’ll always find traditional, devoted and accessible care at Koga Neurosurgery.
“Insurance agencies and government bodies are realizing that the most cost-effective care is delivered by smaller enterprises, and patients know that the best individual care comes from individual doctors, not healthcare corporations,” Dr. Koga says. “The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted surgical care away from the large hospitals, and my practice is ready to meet this increased need. We’re all about doing the right thing for every patient, every time.”
Who We Are
That he ascended the North Face of Mount Everest for 17 high-altitude rescues is a remarkable feat, but in context of Dr. Sebastian Koga’s expansive career, it is just one of many achievements that demonstrate his commitment to providing expert and quality care to all people.
“Doctors exist at the intersection of human rights, religious values, science and altruism,” Dr. Koga says. “As physicians, we are driven by moral responsibility, and everything else is secondary.”
Armed with this philosophy, Dr. Koga has garnered an international reputation for his innovative approach to neurosurgery and biotechnological research. He has performed complex brain surgeries on four continents, lectured in the US, Europe, China and Japan, and has treated thousands of patients worldwide.
His collaborations are just as varied: with Haag-Streit in Switzerland, Dr. Koga assisted in the designing and testing of a robotic surgical microscope. With Charmant in Japan, he developed dual-purpose multi-alloy titanium micro-instruments for performing more precise neurosurgeries. With Synaptive Medical in Toronto, Dr. Koga contributed to the effective removal of brain tumors by designing a software that more accurately maps tumors during surgery.
All this and more was built on a foundation of education and research that began at Tulane School of Medicine. From there, Dr. Koga trained in neurosurgery at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, and completed cerebrovascular and skull base fellowships in New Zealand, Germany and Japan. He returned to New Orleans in 2014 to build the Greater New Orleans region’s first comprehensive neurosurgery program at Koga Neurosurgery, in addition to the creation of the Surgical Isotelesis Laboratory.
At Koga Neurosurgery, Dr. Koga treats adult general neurosurgery patients with a variety of spine and brain disorders. He specializes in brain tumors and vascular diseases of the brain, such as aneurysms, as well as treatment for brain and spinal pathology, including pituitary tumors, primary brain tumors, skull base tumors, and metastatic tumors of the brain and spine.
Beyond the walls of his professional practice, Dr. Koga maintains strong connections to the community at large. He is the President of the New Orleans Polo Club and the owner of Carpathia Farm, a 100-acre property in Covington with a full size polo field. Dr. Koga engages his lifelong passion for aviation with his air taxi company, SkyTransit, LLC, which operates out of Lakefront Airport, and races his antique wooden sailboat with the Pontchartrain Yacht Club.
COVINGTON
Koga Neurosurgery
189 Greenbriar Blvd., Suite C || Covington, LA 70433 || 985.777.KOGA || www.koganeurosurgery.com
