Dr. Julio Luis Pozuelos López

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Dr. Julio Pozuelos is among the most highly respected neurosurgeons in Guatemala City, diagnosing and treating illnesses that affect all parts of the nervous system, spine, neck, and brain. He has corrected many cases of traumatic degeneration and tumors, so that patients can look forward to resuming their normal lives.

Dr. Pozuelos has had extensive training in Madrid, Spain, participating in clinical investigations, medical research studies, and attending advanced courses in neurosurgical procedures. Back home in Guatemala City, he has been in private practice in the prestigious Multimedica Building and an esteemed colleague at the most trusted private hospitals since 2007.

Patients arrive to the clinic with problems that involve various parts of the nervous system, like sciatica. This disease makes the patient feel sensations of electric shock or burning affecting one side of the body, radiating from the lower back all the way to the foot.The path of the pain could vary slightly depending on which nerve root was damaged. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the human body, stemming from several branches that originate in the spine.

Minimally invasive spine surgery is a technique that does not produce extensive damage to the surrouding tissues. It’s based on small but accurate incisions that prevent damage to the biomechanics of the spine and associated tissues. Microsurgery performed with this procedure allows patients to have less pain, meaning less medication, and a faster recovery.

The doctor says, “Diagnostic imaging, such as angiographic magnetic resonance imaging (angio-MRI), or computed tomography contrast (CT scan), is of vital importance to me in determining the limits and plan of the surgical method.” And, “We have to use the latest technology available to accurately locate the lesion so we can make accurate corrections to the nerves and blood flow in the brain and neck without damaging the surrounding tissue”.

Dr. Pozuelos also treats cases of cerebrospinal fluid disorders, such as hydrocephalus. Normally, this fluid protects and cushions the brain, but an abnormal accumulation caused by head injuries, strokes, infections, tumors, or bleeding can cause harmful inflammation. To relieve pressure, Dr. Pozuelos would insert a flexible biocompatible shunt or tube to remove fluid from the brain. With regular monitoring, therapy, and medication, he gives patients the best chance to enjoy normal activities again, and to avoid problems in the future.

If you suffer from chronic or refractive pain, it could be because damaged nerve fibers are sending the wrong signals to reception centers in your body, resulting in neuropathic pain. Neuropathy is a disturbance of function in one or several nerves of the spinal cord, brain, or periferal nervous system. Nueropathic pain can be mild or severe; it might come and go, or persist for a the long term.

Patients with neuropathic pain experience a poor health-related quality of life as it effects families, relationships, work, sleep, and their freedom of mobility. After conducting a series of exams, Dr. Pozuelos may treat your pain with a combination of different treatments including medication, physcal therapy, psychological councelling, or surgery.

Dr. Pozuelos tells of of a successful case study… “One time, I had a 65-year old woman come to my office in a wheelchair, pushed by her son. Margaret was obviously sedated and minimally responsive. She had not been able to walk for a year. They came here from the United States and brought the MRI films and medical reports with them. As soon as I saw the imaging, I knew the pathology called for surgery, without a doubt, so I asked why it was not done a long time ago in the United States. Robert said his mother had been on heavy doses of constant pain medication instead.

I performed the surgery that Margaret needed, here in Guatemala the next day. After her surgery and therapy, the patient had no more back pain, and therefore she did not need the pharmaceutical medications. Within a month, Margaret was walking normally, off the meds, and back to her old lifestyle.

With his long-standing, solid reputation of honesty and ethics, you can be certain that Dr. Pozuelos will be clear and direct about the implications of the diagnostics, and the reasons for his recommendations. To quote the doctor, “You can place your trust in God, as he is the one who oversees the procedure. I do not have the power of determining life and death, and neither for the future. Every one of my surgeries is in His hands, and His will prevails.”