– Dr. Luigi Bassani

MD, FAANS

Chiari Malformation

Brain Tumors

Epilepsy

Minimally Invasive Spine surgery

Pediatrics

Livingston

Paterson

Edison

See all my awards

About Dr. Luigi Bassani

Dr. Bassani is a board-certified neurosurgeon with fellowship training in pediatric neurosurgery practicing out of the Livingston office and also Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Bassani is one of the leading pediatric neurosurgeons in the area.

Meet Dr. Bassani

Dr. Bassani specializes in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of pediatric brain and spinal cord tumors, craniosynostosis, spasticity, hydrocephalus, epilepsy and vascular malformations such as Moyamoya, arteriovenous malformations and cavernous malformations.

While practicing a broad range of pediatric neurosurgery, his subspecialty interests lies in the treatment of pediatric brain tumors, congenital craniovertebral junction anomalies (chiairi malformations, instability and syringomyelia), cervical spine trauma, and tethered cords. Dr. Bassani utilizes the latest techniques in pediatric neurosurgery to care for his patients, including computer-guided surgical navigation, minimally invasive endoscopy and microsurgery. His expertise in these areas was garnered from his high volume clinical training in brain and spinal cord disorders while at NYU Langone Medical Center and Primary Children’s Hospital, the primary neurosurgery referral center for five states.

Activities

In addition to his pediatric interest, Dr. Bassani practices general adult neurosurgery focusing on primary brain and spinal cord tumors and metastasis, cervical and lumbar herniated discs and spinal degeneration disorders. He is particularly interested in continuing care of adults with congenital pediatric neurosurgical pathology such as hydrocephalus, epilepsy, tethered cords, chiari malformations and spasticity. Dr. Bassani utilizes advanced minimally invasive surgical techniques where applicable for his patients.

Dr. Bassani has published multiple peer reviewed articles and book chapters on treatments for epilepsy and spasticity, techniques for treatment of cervical spine trauma and congenital malformations and treatment of hydrocephalus. He has been invited to lecture in the field of pediatric neurosurgery on both the state and national level.

Dr. Bassani is a diplomat of the American Board of Neurological Surgeons. He participates actively in organized pediatric neurosurgery and is a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Association of Neurological Surgery and the AANS/CNS Section of Pediatric Neurosurgery. He has been designated one of New Jersey’s Favorite Kids’ Docs for Pediatric Neurosurgery in 2015 and 2017 by New Jersey Family magazine. Dr Bassani was also named New Jersey Top Doctor for Pediatric Neurosurgery in 2018.

Training & Education

Dr. Bassani received his Bachelor of Arts, graduating cum laude, from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He went on to attend Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, District of Columbia. Dr. Bassani then completed his general surgery internship and his Neurological Surgery residency and chief residency at New York University School of Medicine. After completing his neurosurgical training, Dr. Bassani pursued subspecialty fellowship training in pediatric neurosurgery at Primary Children’s Hospital through the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Following fellowship training, he served as Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery in the Department of Neurological Surgery at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, NJ. There he cared for pediatric patients with brain and spinal cord tumors, congenital spinal anomalies, hydrocephalus and traumatic brain and spinal cord injury.

Areas of Excellence

Pediatric Brain Tumors (cerebellar tumors, pineal region tumors, pituitary tumors)
Pediatric Cranial Cervical Junction (congenital spine malformations, chiari malformations, syringomyelia)
Pediatric Spine (tethered cords, spinal dysraphism, scoliosis, instability, herniated discs)
Craniosynostosis
Epilepsy

Hydrocephalus
Spasticity
Adult Brain Tumors (gliomas, pituitary tumors, metastatic tumors)
Adult Degenerative Spine and Disc Disease

Conditions Treated

1. Craniosynostosis

2. Brain Tumors:

Cerebellar tumors (medulloblastoma, pilocytic astrocytoma, ependymoma)
Pineal Region Tumors
Supratentorial tumors (astrocytomas, ependymomas, hypothalamic/optic gliomas)
Pituitary Tumors
Brain Metastasis

3. Cerebral Palsy/Spasticity

4. Cervical and Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease

5. Cranial Cervical Junction Abnormalities:

Chiari Malformations
Syringomyelia
Congenital Abnormalities
Cervical Trauma

6. Spine Trauma and Fractures

7. Tethered Spinal Cord:

Fatty Filum
Spinal Lipomas
Lipomyelomeningoceles
Meningoceles

8. Hydrocephalus

9. Epilepsy:

Vagus Nerve Stimulators
Corpus Colostomy
Lesion resections, hemispherectomies

10. Hydrocephalus and Cerebral Cysts

11. Vascular Abnormalities:

Cavernomas
Arteriovenous malformations
Moya Moya Disease

12. Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussions

Treatments Performed

Minimally invasive endoscopic craniosynostosis repair
Endoscopic treatment of congenital hydrocephalus and cerebral cysts
Cerebral spinal fluid shunting
Minimally invasive chiari decompression
Brain and spinal cord tumor resections
Resection of skull lesions
Selective dorsal rhizotomy
Tethered cord release; Spinal lipoma resection

Repair of myelomeningocele
Surgical correction of scoliosis
Surgical epilepsy monitoring and treatment (lesionectomy, callosotomy, VNS, RNS)
Minimally invasive spine surgery (laminectomy and discectomy)
Spinal fusion and stabilization (cervical and lumbar)
Occipital Cervical Stabilization
Stereotactic radiosurgery (pediatric and adult)

Hospital Privileges

In addition to working out of our Livingston, Edison and Glen Ridge offices, Dr. Bassani has the ability to treat and admit patients at the following area hospitals.

Saint Barnabas Medical Center
Morristown Medical Center
St. Joseph’s Health
Hackensack Meridian Health – Mountainside Medical Center
The Valley Hospital
NYU Langone Medical Center

Publications

See the research Dr. Luigi Bassani has had published.

Insurances

Aetna Medicare
Aetna Meritain & Assure
Aetna Signature (1199 & GEHA)
Aetna Whole Health
Clover Medicare – Case by Case exception
Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield (Blue Card/Suitcase/PPO)
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ (commercial)
Horizon Braven Health (PPO, HMO-POS)
Braven Medicare Choice PPO
Braven Medicare Freedom PPO
Braven Medicare Group HMO-POS
Braven Medicare Access group HMO-POS
Horizon NJ Health
Medicare (Part A and Part B)
No Fault (New Jersey Motor Vehicle Accidents Only)
Omnia (tier 1)
Oxford Garden State Health Plan
Oxford Health Plan
UHC under Empire/NYSHIP plan
United HealthCare (commercial, including All Savers) UMR
Worker’s Comp- NJ Only