Dr. Soren Singel
Neurosurgery
San Francisco, CA
30 years experience male
Locations
UCSF Neurological Surgery
San Francisco, CA
About
Bio
Neurosurgeon at UCSF
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
Neuroradiology
Languages spoken
English, German, Mandarin
Doctor Q&A
454 Answers
1.7K Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 30-year-old female asked:
I have hydrocephalus i am experiencing. urinary incotinence and diarrhea is hydrocephalus the cause?
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Unlikely: In the elderly, the combination of memory loss, gait ataxia and urinary incontinence point at normal pressure hydrocephalus (nph). The combination of ... Read More
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 27-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Go see neurosurgeon: Steroid injections help reduce nerve swelling/inflammation/pain. They do not remove the cause of the problem. Weakness and numbness are signs of nerve... Read More
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Pediatric neuro: May represent a neurofibroma. Worthwhile getting your son to a pediatric neurologist or neurosurgeon to assess for other lesions.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 36-year-old male asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Fish: Fish oil is extracted from fish scraps. Real fish is better.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
See your doctor: What is your question? These symptoms are concerning and can have several possible etiologies. Need to be evaluated by your family physician immediat... Read More
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
They can't: A shunt blockage will not show on either ct or xrays. Useful methods to assess for blockage include 1. Radionucleotide shunt study 2. Shunt interroga... Read More
5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 28-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
See your MD: These are good reasons to see your md for a history and physical.
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 31-year-old male asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Cannot tell: Likely muscular but impossible to say without exam and scan.
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Cortisone: For practical purposes, the term describes a problem with the regulation of cortisone production. Cortisone is produced in the adrenal glands. This pr... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Not usually: "pinched nerve in neck" is a vague term for cervical nerve root compression. This gives you arm pain, never dizziness. Who diagnosed a "pinched nerve... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 16-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Antioxidants, fish: Cold water fish for the dha (wild salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel (mackerel has heavy metals so don't eat too much of it). Fish oil or krill oi... Read More
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 49-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Bony anatomy: Ct scans are the best method to demonstrate the anatomy of the bones in great detail. Image reconstructions will help the surgeon plan the details of ... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Cranial burr holes: Cranial burr hole evacuation of the hematoma. For large for acute hematomas, craniotomy may become necessary.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Physical exam needed: See your md for this. Very unusual symptoms. Only a detailed exam and possibly imaging can get you closer to an answer on this one.
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Rest: Rest and take it easy, keeping the lights down for a few days usually helps. If not better, see your physician.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Head injury?: Concussion is head injury with loss of consciousness. People with concussion may have the symptoms you describe.
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Can happen: Depending on the tumor location yes.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old male asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Should not: "might have" is not good enough. Diagnosis is straight-forward - ask your neurologist. Not advisable to consider career changes based on medical hunch... Read More
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Not usually.: Often an MRI diagnosis. Symptoms can be disabling in which case surgery (chiari decompression) will help.
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
No: No evidence at all. Functional scoliosis (rotation due to bad posture etc) may improve a bit but not a structural spinal deformity. Active therapy (f... Read More
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Spinal tap: Diagnosis of meningitis is not by ct scan, but spinal tap. Obtaining cerebrospinal fluid allows your physician to find out about severity of the menin... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 16-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Depends: For more benign tumors such as meningioma, many years. For malignant brain tumors such as glioblastoma, a few months.
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Light activity: Light activity ok after concussion, listen to music, watch a movie etc. No strenuous exercise and take a lot of rest.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Yes: The muscles are tight as they try to correct the "kink" in your spine. Pain usually gets better after you strengthen these same muscles. Good exercise... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 18-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
See ENT: Not gerd. This is a swollen lymph node or blocked saliva duct etc, see your head and neck surgeon or ENT specialist for this.
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 36-year-old male asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 29-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Yes: Brain still swollen some after exercise. Recommend careful continuation of all sports activities, will watch out for brain swelling etc.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
See your doctor: The doctor who ordered the scan which showed the disc herniations should be able to give advice regarding the next steps. Any numbness or weakness ass... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Scalp hematoma: Most likely a scalp hematoma. Usually harmless given the location outside the skull.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 50-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Location, quality: Tooth pain more constant and located in the tooth. Pain intensity not usually severe. Direct pressure on the tooth makes the pain worse. Tn pain - sev... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
No, no and no.: "no" to all. Ddd cannot possibly cause it. Parasympathetic innervation to your upper GI tract runs with the vagus nerves (anterior neck-not close to s... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Nerve block: Injection by the pain provider - nerve block. Medication - neurontin/gabapentin.
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 49-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
It will heal: It goes away over the course of several days. Take tylenol (acetaminophen) in the meantime. Ibuprofen slows the healing process so best be avoided for... Read More
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 17-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Months: May take months to a year. Make sure you had your c-spine cleared and you were evaluated for vertebral artery dissection.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Sure: The spine holds pressures far exceeding the recommended daily levels. Spondylolisthesis means a forward motion of vertebral body ever so slightly. Ag... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Test it: Heat improves circulation (washes out the Lactic Acid from the muscles); while ice chills the tissues and reduces inflammation. Different mechanisms,... Read More
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 36-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Complex: This situation too complex to tackle without physical exam and lab tests.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Instability: Have your md check for instability (dynamic flexion extension views). Pain down both legs is not usually caused by a lumbar disc bulge. Sitting is nev... Read More
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 34-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Neurology: This could be carpal tunnel also, see neurologist who can run some emg/ncv testing to pinpoint the diagnoses.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Not at all: Very common and almost never of any concern. These actually tend to spontaneously resolve and you may not see it on an MRI a year from now. Structur... Read More
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 54-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Quick recovery: Tarlov cysts are "oh by the way" findings of near zero pathological consequence. Makes no sense that someone offered treatment (surgery) for this - pu... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 19-year-old male asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
No immediate worries: Mechanism of injury does not suggest real trouble. For any ongoing dizziness, headaches, weakness etc may want to check in with your primary care doc.... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
No: Meningitis from CSF leak is mostly caused by garden variety skin bugs (staphylococcus) which managed to get onto the meninges from the outside in. The... Read More
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A male asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Yes: Concussions can have long term effect. Maximize activities which help with memory (reading, mental activities) and minimize passive activities e.g. W... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Parsonage Turner: The brachial plexus painful paralysis may not be a direct virus infection of the nerves, but as a consequence of an immune attack. Upper respiratory v... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Sepsis: Very unlikely to ever happen. But it can. Any source of bacteremia (bacteria getting into your blood stream) can turn into a serious condition called ... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 28-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
See your doctor: The great majority of aneurysms remain asymptomatic. The great majority of headaches have nothing to do with aneurysms. This situation is best handled... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Medical workup: These sensations appear to be muscular in origin and can be seen in a variety of conditions e.g. Chiari malformation, dermatomyositis, tension myositi... Read More
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Often beneficial: Swimming strengthens paraspinous muscles and is very beneficial. Whether it helps in the acute phase of sciatica very much depends on how inflamed the... Read More
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old female asked:
Dr. Soren Singelanswered
Neurosurgery 30 years experience
Take the folate (folic acid): No problem taking the folate (folic acid). Have you seen an endocrinologist? How high are the prolactin levels ? Did they obtain a high resolution M... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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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.
7
Recommendations
387
Thank you notes
Aug 25, 2013
Very timely and accurate responses.
Jul 17, 2013
Great answers. Very helpful!
Jul 19, 2013
Nice answers. Great job!
HealthTap member
This was very helpful. Thanks! I have tried, unsuccessfully, to explain this phenomenon to various people over the years, family members included, and have been told that I am merely making up an excu...Read More
HealthTap member
This was very helpful. Thanks! I had one of these and had to have the subsequent surgery to remove it, or I was told that coma or death was imminent because of the presence of 'destructive hydrocephal...Read More
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer or tip was very helpful! Thanks! I just hope it's not something serious because I need to wait maybe 3 months more 'til I can get health insurance from my employer.
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
FU Berlin, Faculty of Medicine, Germany
Graduated 1993MD
Residency
University of California, San Diego
Completed 2005
Affiliations
American Association of Neurological Surgeons
Congress of Neurosurgery
Society for Neuro-Oncology
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