Dr Erol Veznedaroglu MD, FAANS, FACS, FAHA

Dr. Veznedaroglu is one of the most experienced cerebrovascular neurosurgeons in the country and an internationally renowned, comprehensively trained vascular neurosurgeon. He is a professor and Director of Drexel Neurosciences Institute at Drexel University College of Medicine and holds the Robert A. Groff Chair in Neurosurgery. As chair of Global Neurosciences Institute, Dr. Vez, as he is known, leads a team of some of the nation’s most experienced neurosurgeons specializing in complex conditions of the brain.

Dr. Vez is one of a select number of neurosurgeons in the country trained in both traditional neurosurgical approaches as well as endovascular approaches, enabling his patients to have the full range of treatment options available to them under the direction of the same physician. Dr. Vez’s expertise includes the treatment of aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), stroke, Chiari malformations and other potentially fatal conditions of the brain and cerebrovascular conditions. Dr. Vez has also treated patients with high grade gliomas of the brain with novel chemotherapy delivery through an endovascular approach. Patients have traveled from around the world for surgical care and evaluation by Dr. Vez.

In addition to providing clinical care, Dr. Vez is the primary investigator of numerous clinical and basic science studies related to cerebrovascular disease and is a nationally recognized academic leader in the area of cerebrovascular care. He teaches numerous national courses for both residents and fellows in the field of complex vascular neurosurgery. These groundbreaking clinical trials have transformed the standard of care for neurologic emergencies, and he continues to develop and patent innovative treatments and devices for stroke and aneurysm. In late 2017, Dr. Vez co-authored an article in the New England Journal of Medicine about the outcomes of an investigation, the DAWN trial. This landmark trial led the change for treatment options for late-presenting stroke patients who wouldn’t be eligible for emergent surgical treatment of acute stroke. Dr. Vez was the first neurosurgeon in the country to use the Trevo® Pro Retriever, following approval by the FDA, for the treatment of stroke. He is the editor of the textbook Controversies in Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery. Dr. Vez is the primary investigator of several clinical and basic science studies related to cerebrovascular disease. He serves as co-Primary Investigator (PI) of the TREVO® Registry, the largest prospective trial in the world for intra-arterial treatment of stroke. He was also the first doctor in the mid-Atlantic region pioneering the use of numerous devices, including the Wingspan stent system, the first FDA approved stent used to open clogged arteries in the brain, the Merci Retriever, the Penumbra device, the Cordis Enterprise Stent for the treatment of wide necked aneurysms, and the Onyx Glue treatment for aneurysms. He is the only surgeon in the world who has developed and patented both an endovascular device for the treatment of cerebral aneurysms but also a clip used in open surgery.