Advocate Brain & Spine Institute at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center
At the Brain & Spine Institute, we are dedicated to advancing the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders and conditions. Our mission is to practice the most advanced treatments under a philosophy of care focused on access. Whenever you need us, we’re here for you.
What sets us apart:
- Team of board-certified neurosurgeons with a reputation for surgical excellence, innovation and collaborative care
- Physicians who believe in offering individualized care to help you achieve the best outcomes
- A spine care program that offers patients direct access to our spine specialists for an initial consultation or a second opinion
- Facility recognized as one of the Best Hospitals in Chicago by U.S.News & World Report
- Nurses recognized with Magnet status for nursing excellence
- Awarded the American Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, the highest recognition for a hospital’s commitment to providing medically appropriate stroke treatment
- Certified as a Primary Stroke Center by the accrediting body DNV
To schedule an appointment, call 800-3-ADVOCATE or find a doctor online.
Access to physicians who care
Our primary goal at the Brain and Spine Institute is to provide an unsurpassed level of care to our patients. We work as a team with other Advocate Illinois Masonic professionals to develop a personalized treatment plan for each patient. Your care team may include neuroradiologists, neurodiagnosticians, neurologists, neuro-oncologists, pain specialists, rehabilitation specialists and specially trained nurses.
Each of our neurosurgeons at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center has completed specialized training in diagnosing and treating neurological and spine conditions through a seven-year residency – more surgical training than physicians in any other specialty. Because of this extensive medical training and decades of combined experience, our experts excel at diagnosing and treating cranial, spinal and neurological conditions.
Our promise to you:
- If you have an urgent matter, you will be seen on the same day.
- If you are looking for a physician consultation, you will receive an appointment within five days.
- Upon arrival, you will be greeted by patient service representatives who will help you navigate your care.
- When appropriate, you will receive a comprehensive, multidisciplinary work-up on the same day, including consult, imaging, pain treatment or rehab services.
- We will collaborate with your referring physician to develop the care plan that is best for you.
- After your consultation, we will communicate with your physician within 48 hours to share your treatment plan.
- For HMO patients, our team will help you expedite the HMO referral process.
Spine care center
Second opinions on spine care
The Spine Care Center at Advocate Illinois Masonic offers virtual reviews of diagnostic imaging. From the comfort of your home, you can upload imaging studies of your neck or back to have them evaluated by one of our esteemed spine specialists. Whether you are seeking an initial consult or a second opinion, our team will provide you with excellent care.
To learn more details and how to participate in this service, please call our Spine Nurse Navigator at (773) 296-7100 or email IMMC-SpineLine@advocatehealth.com
Primary stroke center
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center provides comprehensive care for patients with stroke. A specially trained team of neurologists, neurosurgeons, neurointerventionalists and nurses cares for stroke patients. They also provide ongoing reports to each patient’s primary care physician to keep them up-to-date on the patient’s progress throughout treatment.
- Learn about the signs of stroke.
- Take our Stroke Risk Assessment.
- Learn more about stroke care at Advocate.
Conditions we treat
Brain conditions:
- Brain aneurysm
- Cerebral/ vascular aneurysm
- Arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
- Cavernous malformation
- Intracranial arterial stenosis
- Carotid stenosis
- Moyamoya disease
- Stroke
- Alzheimer's disease
- Dementia
- Parkinson's disease, tremor, other movement disorders
- Concussions
- Traumatic brain injuries (head injuries)
- Pituitary tumors
- Brain tumors
- Glioblastoma
- Astrocytoma
- Oligodendroglioma
- Ependymoma
- Meningioma
- Pituitary adenoma
- Acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma)
- Pseudo tumor cerebri
- Benign tumors
- Headaches
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Occipital neuralgia
- Multiple sclerosis
- Seizure disorder/epilepsy
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Myasthenia gravis
- Myopathy
- Hydrocephalus
- Hemifacial spasms
- Encephalitis and cerebritis
- Chiari malformation
Learn more about treatment for brain conditions at Advocate.
Spine conditions:
- Back pain
- Complex traumatic spinal disorders
- Compression fractures
- Degenerative spine disease
- Degenerative disc disease
- Disc herniation
- Neck pain
- Herniated disc (ruptured disc)
- Myasthenia gravis
- Myopathy
- Nerve injuries
- Osteoarthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Kyphosis
- Scoliosis
- Spinal deformities
- Sciatica
- Spinal instability
- Spine fractures
- Spine infections
- Spine tumors
- Spinal cord injury
- Spinal stenosis
- Spondylolisthesis
- Spondylosis
- Spondylolysis (pars fracture)
- Flat-back syndrome
- Failed back syndrome
- Arm pain
- Myelopathy
- Cervical disc disease
- Lumbar disc disease
Learn more about treatment for spine conditions at Advocate.
Services & treatments
Brain services:
- Pain management
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Psychiatric care
- Neurology
- Neuroradiology
- Neurosurgery
- Minimally invasive neurosurgery
- Neurointervention
- Neuro-interventional radiology
- Neuro-oncology
- Rehabilitation
- Intra-operative computerized image-guided navigation
- High field brain MRI (3 Tesla)
- Stereotactic radiosurgery
- Awake brain surgery
- Microscopic brain surgery
Learn more about treatment for brain conditions at Advocate.
Spine services:
- Interventional radiology
- Pain management
- Rehabilitation
- Spine surgery
- Spinal radiation
- Neuroradiology
- Neurology
- EMG testing
- Neurosurgery
- Oncology
- Psychiatric care
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Outcome analysis
- Minimally invasive spine surgery
- Discectomy
- Outpatient discectomy
- Outpatient microdiscectomy
- Laminectomy (decompression surgery)
- Laminoplasty
- Vertebroplasty
- Kyphoplasty
- Corpectomy
- Spinal fusion
- Spinal reconstruction
- Revision of previous failed spinal surgery
- Artificial disc replacement
- Scoliosis surgery
- Spinal trauma and spinal cord injury surgery
- Spinal tumor surgery
- Spinal cord stimulator for pain
- Intra-operative computerized image-guided navigation and imaging
- EOS Imaging System
- Stereotactic radiosurgery
- TrueBeam
Learn more about treatment for spine conditions at Advocate.
Preparing for your visit
Patient forms & records
New patients should print and complete the following forms. Remember to sign each form and bring it with you to your appointment.
- Patient intake form [PDF]
- Health information release [PDF]
What to bring
Please bring the following with you to make sure your visit goes as smoothly as possible:
- Insurance card or public aid card
- Photo identification
- Physician referral
- All medical records relevant to your condition
- A CD of your MRI, MRA or CT scans if they were performed elsewhere
Parking
Parking for the medical center is available in the Halsted Parking Garage, located on Halsted Street just north of Wellington Avenue.
Patient service representatives on the first floor can validate your parking ticket. Validation is also available at the Information Desk in the Main Lobby.
Our location
Address:
Advocate Brain & Spine Institute
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center
836 W. Wellington Ave.
Chicago, IL 60657
Are you at risk for stroke?
Most strokes are preventable and many of the risk factors are controllable. Our stroke risk quiz helps you estimate your chance of experiencing a stroke, find ways to minimize your risk and get an idea of what to do next based on your results.
Get care
We help you live well. And we’re here for you in person and online.