Locations
Office
Los Angeles, CA
Phone
Practice website
About
Bio
Since joining USC in 1980, have trained over 60 neurosurgeons, many of whom now work in academic neurosurgery. I have personally treated thousands of aneurysms and over 1000 skullbase tumors including over 500 acoustic neuromas. We have developed comprehensive multidiscipinary teams at USC for our complex pateints with aneurysms, AV malformations and cranial base tumors including the use of Gamma Knife and Cyberknife. I have also personally treated hundreds of patients with Trigeminal Neuralgia and Hemifacial Spasm
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Neurosurgery
Languages spoken
English
Doctor Q&A
132 Answers
43 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Possibly: There are various forms of language impairments that victims of stroke or brain injury can have. Specific injuries may not be located in the parts of... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Call 911: Call 911 and get them to the emergency room, fast. They might be a candidate for clot busting drugs.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Blood pressure: Getting blood pressure down to normal is the most powerful prevention method. Reducing other risk factors such as obesity, smoking, and high choleste... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
You : You should have an opinion from someone expert in nerve repair. There may be a rationale for waiting but at the end of that time if there is no impro... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Yes: There are many causes of stroke, but if your family memebers have had strokes due to atherosclerosis, diabetes, or high blood pressure, you have a hig... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Many: Could be many things. Eventually you may need consultation with a neurologist.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
None: Unfortunately people with low iron counts will get symptoms of blood loss a lot faster than people with normal iron levels.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Potentially curable: It usually means they have located a specific area of the brain that triggers the seizure, and they can remove that area with a low complication rate.... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Could be.: Cysts in the brain can cause pressure on certain structures that can cause symptoms like you describe. They can also cause silent epileptic seizures ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Bruising: If the front of the skull isfractured there may be bruises around the eyes. If the back of the skull is fractured, there may be a bruise behind the e... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old male asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
No guarantees.: People have different susceptibilities to hypoxia depending on many factors including age, physical fitness, and health status. Also, the ability of ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A female asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
You : You didn't tell us what the surgery was for. Certainly tumor surgery of the neck can have these kinds of side effects. Your surgeon would have discu... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 30-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Question? : There should be no relationship between hydrocephalus and insomnia.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 20-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Unlikely: True migraines aren't caused by trauma.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old male asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Unlikely: Although primary lateral sclerosis can be disabling, it is no where near as bad as als. You shouldn't be thinking about that but how you can best fol... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Risky: That is a very risky strategy, and i wouldn't recommend it or do it on any of my patients.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Radiation and chemo: Assuming gbm is glioblastoma, unfortunately, surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are the only modalities that have been tested. Radiation must be us... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
C6 nerve root: The tongue is the hard part. There may be two things going on. An MRI of the neck including the spine would be appropriate.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old male asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Symptomatically: In the early stages just anti nausea and anti dizzy medications. The acute effects usually go away after a few days.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 62-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Yes: As long as you are under the care of a neurologist.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 62-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Yes: Both are used. If those fail there are other meds that can be helpful.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 28-year-old male asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Rest: Do not engage in any activity that makes your back hurt. May take some time.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 55-year-old male asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Normal: It's the normal way an artery or vein shows up on an MRI scan.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old male asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Muscle: Sounds muscular to me. Symptomatic treatment with massage, heat, etc might get you over it.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
No back hygiene: Many people don't take care of their back. They become overweight and expect their back to perform as though it is carrying the weight it was designe... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
TPA (alteplase): The most important drug to come along for stroke are the so-called clot busters. Tpa (alteplase) can be given intravenously and can reverse some or a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Sounds : Sounds like you have several good reasons to focus on your health. Numbness can always be a sign of nerve problems and diabetes can cause nerve degen... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Treat symptoms: "whiplash" is rarely serious and involves a stretching of the muscles and ligaments in the neck. Like any other stretch injury, rest, heat, massage, ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Depends: Depending on why the bone was fractured, i.e.: trauma, tumor, etc., treatment can vary from rest and a back brace all the way to a surgical fusion.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 25-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Ortho : Actually an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine would be appropriate.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Botox: Anything taken internally that rusults in nerve or brain dysfunction is by definition a neurotoxin. One example is botox. This temporarily blocks sm... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
It's possible.: Assuming the subdural blood clot has been removed or has resorbed, you may be able to return to play. Your surgeon will take into consideration what ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Communicating : As long as the tumor is gone, it's communicating.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 35-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
No: Bad sinus disease if left untreated can cause intracranial infection or even brain abcess. The infection erodes through the bone and covering of the ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Sure: If experiences aren't ingrained in the brain as memories, they will not be remembered no matter how much time passes. This can happen to people with ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
No: Selective "amnesia" is a psychological condition.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Depends : You didn't tell us the reason. These blocks are used for a number of things but mostly for certain chronic pain syndromes. If you've run out of meds t... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 23-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Tests: At some point, imaging of your spine needs to be done. Your surgeon or someone of equal experience should make sure all is well with your fusion.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
No: The ability to retain early memories depends on your current age and how well your brain was stimulated at a very early age.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Maybe nothing: Those are fairly common findings, especially for weekend warriors. For patients with symptoms a collar can be effective in the short run. If persiste... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Positional vertigo: It might be benign positional vertigo. A neurologist or otologist can perform the appropriate tests.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 68-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
For what?: Stimulators are used frequently in neurosurgery. They can help with pain, tremors, parkinson's disorder, spine fusion, etc. For the tremor od parkin... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
If it's ruptured: If the aneurysm is ruptured or if there is evidence of increase in size either on a scan or because a neurologic probel arises, urgent treatment shoul... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Bad luck: Aneurysms can run in families occasionally. If you have two first degree relatives with documented cerebral aneurysms, then it's possible it is hered... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 63-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Check meds: It could be something simple like your blood pressure or some of you medications. Your family doctor can help. If not there are some balance tests t... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 30-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
No: Usually medications or dermatological factors affect hair growth.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Temporary?: Likely a compression of your brachial plexus nerves from your position while sleeping. If it persists you should see a neurologist.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old male asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
It doesn't.: It's just more noticeable since walking is a much more complex and dangerous activity.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
GBM: Glioblastoma is the most common. Cancers that come from elsewhere and go to the brain are frequently terminal.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Giannottaanswered
Neurosurgery 51 years experience
Plenty: You should have a good exam and some imaging done by a back specialist.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
3
Recommendations
340
Thank you notes
HealthTap member
Mar 24, 2013
He's quick to respond with great informative answer's that make good, clear sense.
HealthTap member
Mar 30, 2015
Dr. Giannotta is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Giannotta is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Thanks for responding so quickly. I will do my best to not dwell,I've read studies on the net where people who have PlS sometimes get AlS.
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! Thank you very much. Yes i have vp- shunt. So the risk is to big ?
HealthTap member
Thanks for your quick reply! Thank you, the answer was very understandable. Have a great day!
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
University of Michigan Medical School, MI
Graduated 1972MD
Awards
Distinguished Service Award Joint Section of Cerebrovascular Surgery
Top Neurosurgeon , First Place, California - Winter
2013
Top Neurosurgeon , First Place, California - Summer
2013
Publications
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