About Dr. Duma | Experience & Credentials
Christopher Duma MD, FACS Brainsurgeon
Dr. Duma is the preeminent adult brain tumor
surgeon in Orange County, California. He performs the most open
craniotomies for brain tumors, performs the most Gamma Knife Radiosurgery
procedures, and performs the most surgeries for Parkinson's Disease
and other movement disorders in the region. He is a Diplomate of
the American Board of Neurological Surgery, and a Fellow of the
American College of Surgeons. He received his general neurosurgical
training at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC. He
also completed a one-year fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh,
Presbyterian Hospital, under the aegis of Dr. Dade Lunsford, in
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery and Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery.
He has been performing Gamma Knife treatments since 1990, and Cyberknife
treatments since 2002, and boasts one of the largest experiences
of any Gamma Knife radio/neurosurgeon west of the Mississippi.
He treats approximately 250 patients using Gamma Knife or Cyberknife
technology per year. He also specializes in open surgical management
of brain tumors, performing 100-150 craniotomies for tumor per
year, and depending on their pathology, their adjunctive treatment
with immunotherapy. He was also the neurosurgical consultant for
the neurosurgeon character in the television series "Chicago
Hope."
 Because Dr. Duma performs both open, general brain surgery and Gamma
Knife radiosurgery, he is uniquely equipped to offer an unbiased
and very modern opinion as to how any brain pathology should be managed.
Consequently, in lieu of performing open
surgery on the brain, the neurosurgeon has the ability to precisely
focus high-intensity gamma radiation on a target tumor or vascular
malformation. Focused radiation may also be used to treat "functional" disorders
such as the tremors resulting from Parkinson's disease, and the
pain syndrome of trigeminal neuralgia.
There are only a small number of select neurosurgeons with adequate
experience to perform Gamma Knife and Cyberknife radiosurgery. A
neurosurgeon should have had experience with at least 200 patient
treatments, and should have had at least two to three years experience
or training in the art. It is a potentially dangerous technique in
inexperienced hands.
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