Advanced DBS Care — Built Around You
Living with Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, dystonia, or epilepsy can slowly shrink the life you love. At the Denver DBS Center, we understand how simple things like holding a cup, walking confidently, or spending time with family can start to feel harder than they should.
At the Denver DBS Center at Neurosurgery One, we believe care should do more than treat symptoms. It should restore confidence, independence and your love of living.
Our center in Littleton, Colorado, provides advanced deep brain stimulation (DBS) care with a focus on what matters most to patients: getting to surgery efficiently without feeling rushed, a team that plans your care together from the very start, and support that continues long after your procedure is done.
Wherever You Are in Your DBS Journey, We Meet You There
Patients typically come to us in one of two places.
You may arrive ready to have DBS. Your neurologist has recommended DBS, you’ve done your research, and you want to move forward. For patients like you who are ready, our priority is efficiency. From first consultation through evaluation, testing, and surgery, most patients at the Denver DBS Center — a program performing more than 50 DBS implants annually — complete the process in one to three months, half the time of most programs. Yet you will never feel hurried because we have planned for this. We have dedicated DBS appointments set aside and a DBS nurse navigator who helps coordinate your pre-surgery tests, insurance coverage, your surgery and recovery.
Or you may arrive uncertain and seeking information. You’ve heard about DBS but aren’t sure whether it’s right for you — or whether you’re ready. For these patients, our priority is clarity and comfort. Dr. Gummadavelli and the team take as much time as you need to walk through what DBS can and cannot do, what the realistic outcomes are for your individual situation and goals, and what alternative treatments look like. You will never feel pushed toward a decision, and we only recommend DBS to qualified candidates when the time is right because we know those are key to optimal outcomes.
In both cases, a dedicated DBS nurse navigator — your single point of contact from first appointment through long-term follow-up — ensures you don’t fall through the cracks and every step moves forward on schedule.
What Makes the Denver DBS Center Different
DBS is a major decision. Choosing where to have it done is equally important. Patients choose the Denver DBS Center because:
- Dedicated DBS Clinic Appointments
Our DBS clinic appointments are not shared with a general neurosurgery schedule. When you come to us for DBS evaluation or follow-up, that time is reserved specifically for DBS and functional neurosurgery patients.
- Customized DBS Surgery
We don’t perform the same procedure over and over. The surgery is tailored to each patient’s specific goals, symptoms, and clinical needs — because no two patients are the same.
- A Multi-Disciplinary DBS Team Approach
From day one, you’ll have a full team of specialists overseeing your care. Neurologists, neurosurgeons, physician assistants, neuropsychologists, programming specialists, physical therapists and your nurse navigator collaborate on every patient’s care. A monthly DBS conference ensures the entire team is actively reviewing each case.
- A DBS Nurse Navigator
Julie, our dedicated DBS nurse navigator coordinates appointments, testing, scheduling, and follow-up — and serves as the person you can always call when you have a question, concern or just need someone to lean on.
- Traditional and Asleep DBS Surgery
We offer both awake and asleep DBS surgery at the Denver DBS Center, depending on which approach suits your situation best. Dr. David VanSickle, our Medical Director and DBS neurosurgeon, helped pioneer asleep DBS surgery. And Dr. Abhijeet Gummadavelli, our lead DBS neurosurgeon, has been performing both techniques for more than a decade.
- Academic-Level Expertise. Personalized Community Hospital Setting.
Our surgeons train at the same level as those at major academic medical centers — Dr. Gummadavelli completed his fellowship at Vanderbilt University — but patients experience the warmth and accessibility of a smaller, patient-centered practice. You are never a number here.
- Regional Reputation
Referring neurologists and the movement disorder community across the region recognize the Denver DBS Center and Neurosurgery One as a top-quality neurosurgery practice. Referring physicians choose the Denver DBS Center for its outcomes, efficiency and the quality of care their patients receive. Many have sent multiple patients over decades to us.
- Remote DBS Programming
When appropriate, we offer remote DBS programming to reduce the number of in-person trips required. This along with coordinated testing to minimize the number of times you need to come to us are especially important for patients with limited access to transportation or who travel from across Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, and the broader Rocky Mountain region.
A DBS Patient Experience Built on Listening, Clarity and Trust
Many people come to us after feeling dismissed or overwhelmed elsewhere. At Neurosurgery One, healing begins with listening.
Patients consistently tell us they appreciate:
- Honesty about what DBS can — and can’t — do for each unique patient
- A fully informed conversation about DBS options, not a one-size-fits-all recommendation
- Time to ask questions and feel comfortable with the entire care team — not just the surgeon
- A calm, organized surgical experience with no surprises
- Ongoing support long after surgery, from a team that stays involved
From your first conversation through years of ongoing care, our goal is simple: to carry the burden with you — not place it on you.
Patient Success Stories
“Something I would tell people with epilepsy who have never had surgery for it…you’re not alone in this journey, and there’s whole teams of doctors just looking out for you.”
Amanda Martin
Student
“After Deep Brain Stimulation, I can I can sign my name and I can sign the date. Now I can do that, and my wife, I’m going to be able to take her out to dinner. This is going to be amazing day. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”
Art Nixon
Retired
“My energy level has greatly improved and my symptoms have lessened,” John says. The improvements in his health have allowed John to return to photography and chess. I really waited three years too long. I wish I would have done this sooner.”
John Bauer
Computer Programmer
Your DBS Nurse Navigator: A Single Point of Support
One of the most distinctive aspects of the Denver DBS Center is access to a dedicated DBS nurse navigator. Julie coordinates your appointments, testing, and surgical scheduling and makes sure nothing falls through the cracks at any stage of your care.
She also is one of the key reasons our program moves efficiently, with a process that takes half the time of most DBS centers. Julie actively tracks every patient in the pipeline, ensuring that evaluations and pre-surgical steps get scheduled without delays. Patients never find themselves waiting and wondering what comes next.
Patients frequently describe having a single, knowledgeable point of contact as one of the things that made the DBS process feel manageable — especially for those traveling from out of state.
Meet Your DBS Nurse Navigator
When you come to the Denver DBS Center, you and your family will be guided every step of the way by Julie, your DBS Nurse Navigator. She will help you schedule appointments, answer questions and provide a shoulder to lean on whenever needed.
Meet Our Denver DBS Neurosurgeons
Abhijeet Gummadavelli, MD
Fellowship-Trained Functional Neurosurgeon | DBS & Epilepsy Surgery Specialist
Dr. Gummadavelli completed a prestigious fellowship in functional and stereotactic neurosurgery at Vanderbilt University — one of the country’s leading programs in DBS training. His expertise reflects the most current surgical techniques, targeting strategies, and device technologies in the field.
What sets Dr. Gummadavelli apart is how he approaches care. He tailors every procedure to the individual patient’s goals and clinical situation, takes the time to ensure patients fully understand their options before making any decisions, and brings a methodical, evidence-based perspective to every case.
Patients who aren’t sure whether they want DBS often describe their consultation with Dr. G (as most come to call him) as the conversation that finally gave them clarity.
Learn more about Dr. Gummadavelli →
David VanSickle, MD, PhD, FAANS
Medical Director, Denver DBS Center | Board-Certified Neurosurgeon | Pioneer in Asleep DBS
Dr. VanSickle is widely trusted by patients across Colorado and the country for his skill and knowledge. Dr. VanSickle is often the reason patients first seek care at Neurosurgery One. With decades of neurosurgical experience, he has played a central role in establishing DBS care in the Rocky Mountain region. He is recognized as a pioneer of asleep DBS, advancing the techniques that allow the procedure to be performed under general anesthesia.
As Medical Director, Dr. VanSickle provides program leadership and works closely with Dr. Gummadavelli to ensure the highest standards of care. Patients describe him as calm, confident, and deeply reassuring at the moments when the stakes feel highest.
Learn more about Dr. VanSickle →
Learn More About DBS
Interested in learning more? Schedule a free phone session with our DBS Nurse Navigator.
Academic-Level DBS Care. A Practice That Knows Your Name.
Patients who have been evaluated at large academic medical centers often tell us the same thing: the expertise was there, but they felt like a case number. Appointments were rushed. Follow-up was hard to schedule. The team changed from visit to visit.
The Denver DBS Center offers a different experience. Our surgeons have completed training equivalent to the country’s top academic programs, and our surgical capabilities reflect current best practices in the field.
The Denver DBS Center has placed close to 1,000 leads and performs more than 50 DBS surgeries each year. Our outcomes reflect that experience. Our infection rate is less than 0.3% — a fraction of the 3% to 5.6% seen at many centers nationally. Of nearly 1,000 leads placed, fewer than 10 patients have required revision surgery, compared to a published national revision rate of more than 15%. And using the most advanced headframes, our surgeons place leads within 0.85mm of the intended target — precision that directly affects whether a patient gets lasting relief the first time.
But our patients receive this care in a community hospital setting where the team knows who you are, your nurse navigator picks up the phone, and continuity of care is the standard.
We use the same advanced technology — sometimes even more advanced — as academic medical centers. Because Dr. VanSickle holds a PhD in bioengineering and Dr. Gummadavelli is fellowship trained in functional neurosurgery, they work closely with the medical device manufacturers and the hospital to optimize the technology they use.
Advanced technology used at the Denver DBS Center includes:
- FGATIR imaging and T2 sequencing
- Fiber Mapping
- NaviNetics Head Frame
- Robotic-assisted lead placement
- Directional lead technology
- Remote programming
- Choice of the 3 major DBS devices: Abbott, Boston Scientific and Medtronics
FAQs About the Denver DBS Center
- Where can I get DBS surgery in Colorado?
DBS surgery is offered at the Denver DBS Center at Neurosurgery One in Littleton, Colorado, serving patients from across Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, and the Rocky Mountain West.
- Who performs DBS surgery at Neurosurgery One?
DBS surgery is led by Dr. Abhijeet Gummadavelli, a fellowship-trained functional neurosurgeon specializing in DBS and epilepsy surgery, in collaboration with Dr. David VanSickle, Medical Director and pioneer in asleep DBS surgery.
- Does the Denver DBS Center have a specialized DBS team?
Yes. At Neurosurgery One’s deep brain stimulation surgery program, a dedicated DBS team guides your care from day one. A team of neurologists, neurosurgeons, physician assistants, neuropsychologists, programming specialists, physical therapists and a nurse navigator collaborate on every patient’s care. This team also meets at a monthly DBS conference to ensure the entire team is actively reviewing each case.
- How long does it take to get through the DBS evaluation process?
For most patients at the Denver DBS Center who are ready for deep brain stimulation, the process from first consultation through surgery takes one to three months, half the time of many other major centers.
- Is Neurosurgery One a good place to have DBS surgery?
The Denver DBS Center at Neurosurgery One has an excellent reputation for optimal outcomes, speed and compassion among neurologists and the movement disorder community. The Center performs more than 50 DBS implants annually, placing it in the upper tier nationally. According to a study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery that analyzed outcomes of 33,642 patients, centers that perform this number of DBS surgeries have shorter hospital lengths of stay, less intensive and lower cost hospital stays, and lower wound and cardiac complications.
- Does Neurosurgery One offer remote DBS programming?
Yes. When appropriate, certain follow-up visits can be completed remotely, reducing the need to travel to Denver after surgery.
- What hospital is used for DBS surgery?
DBS lead implantation surgeries are typically performed at AdventHealth Littleton Hospital. DBS generators and batteries are implanted at the hospital or one of two nearby outpatient ambulatory surgery centers, depending on patient needs.
- Does Neurosurgery One have a DBS nurse navigator?
Yes. A dedicated DBS nurse navigator coordinates every step of your care from scheduling through long-term follow-up and serves as your single point of contact throughout the process.
- How fast can I get a DBS appointment at Neurosurgery One?
Neurosurgery One has designated DBS appointments, which means we can see new patients within a week or sooner. If you have questions about appointment scheduling or would like assistance, our DBS Nurse Navigator can help. Request a call with her.
Serving Colorado, the Rocky Mountains and Beyond
The Denver DBS Center serves patients from across Colorado and neighboring states, including Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, and New Mexico. For patients traveling from a distance, the program is intentionally designed to reduce the number of trips required — consolidating evaluations, imaging, and pre-surgical testing wherever possible, and offering remote DBS programming for appropriate follow-up visits.
Ready to take the next step in your DBS Journey?
Whether you’ve already made up your mind or you’re still gathering information about deep brain stimulation, we’re here to help. The first step is a conversation with our DBS team or our nurse navigator, who can answer your questions before you ever schedule an appointment.
