Neurosurgeon Bill Monacci lauds
medical care for local veterans
 Two years ago, Dr. Bill Monacci was at the center of medical
care for wounded soldiers coming back from the war zones.
He was then Neurosurgery Consultant to the Army Surgeon
General and Chief of Cranial Surgery at Walter Reed Army
Medical Center.
Today the neurosurgeon lives and practices in Central
Pennsylvania with Lancaster Neuroscience & Spine
Associates. Part of his practice is devoted to treating veterans
through the Lebanon and Coatesville VA Medical
Centers. His experience here affirms his faith in veterans
access to the appropriate health care, and that, he says,
means that the V.A. is in step with improving technology in
cranial and spinal surgery. He also believes that the Veterans Administration is ahead of
most other health care systems in error prevention and electronic medical records
"Its gratifying to see veterans get the care they need in a timely manner," he said, "and
to know that we can apply advances to them as readily as to anyone else." New spinal
hardware and techniques for endoscopic brain surgery are revolutionizing the way surgeries
are performed, he explains, allowing for less invasive procedures, and thus faster
recovery.
Most veterans come to see Dr. Monacci because of degenerative changes in the spine.
And as with the general patient population, surgery is a last resort. "Our function is not
just to operate, but also to diagnose, and find the best path for pain relief and restored
mobility, surgically or otherwise," he said.
Dr. Monacci describes neurosurgery as "still in its early stages despite its present level of
technical sophistication," saying "The future is going to bring more applications of neurosurgery
to health care. "
"We are getting better at determining the origin of pain in a patient with a particular
spinal disorder and developing less destructive methods for treating brain disorders," he
said. "Tumors that were once thought untreatable are having increasingly successful outcomes.
We have at our disposal locally the latest in technical innovations to apply to our
patients problems," he continued. "The ability to treat serious spinal and cranial problems
is on par with any major medical center in the country."
He acknowledges that he misses his friends in the military, but he keeps up with them
through the Internet and CNN. He enjoys the common ground he shares with
Pennsylvania veterans who appreciate his experience, and at this stage in his career,
hes glad for the opportunity to treat patients with a wide variety of complex spinal and
cranial problems.
The chance to make a difference in a patients quality of life continues to drive him. "I
chose neurosurgery because of the broad spectrum of problems that patients face, and
the variety of ways that I can help them," he said. "The nervous system is the most complicated
and most elegant system in the body, and having the potential to impact it in a
positive way is totally gratifying," he explained.
The surgeons and physiatrists in his group diligently keep
up with technology, he says. And he added that they keep
their perspective about the latest innovations trumpeted
on the news and the Internet. "Just because there is a new
technique or device, it doesnt make it the gold standard,"
he said. "It may not be applicable to every patient. Its
our job to find the segment of the patient population that
will benefit from it," he concluded.
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Bill Monacci lauds medical care for local veterans
• Welcome
William T. Monacci, MD
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