Dr. Iahn Cajigas Gonzalez, MD, PhD

Media Releases

Get to know Neurosurgeon Dr. Iahn Cajigas Gonzalez, who serves patients throughout the State of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Cajigas Gonzalez is a distinguished neurosurgeon affiliated with Penn Neurosurgery. He holds clinics at Pennsylvania Hospital and at Lancaster General Health Neuroscience Institute. He holds privileges for patient treatment at Pennsylvania Hospital, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he fulfills the role of an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery.

His professional commitment encompasses a strong dedication to advancing medical research, pioneering innovative treatment options, and leading clinical trials. Dr. Cajigas Gonzalez is also deeply invested in mentoring and training the next generation of neurosurgeons, ensuring that patients have access to the latest technological advancements, cutting-edge imaging techniques, surgical procedures, and management strategies.

His clinical expertise includes deep brain stimulation, mri-guided focused ultrasound, and stereotactic radiosurgery for movement disorders, the surgical management of epilepsy, the management of refractory back pain with neuromodulation, and the surgical/radiosurgical treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.

“At Penn, we have access to a breadth of treatment options and we will work with patients to find the best treatment for their condition. For example, using a technology focused ultrasound, I was recently able to take care of a woman in her 90s who had a very severe debilitating tremor. Given her age and medical history she would not have been a good candidate for other surgical options. After her treatment I went to see her in the recovery room where she was eating soup for the first time in about three or four years, and she was just so happy that she was going to be able to eat independently again. That’s why we do this kind of neurosurgery because we can give somebody their function back” remembers Dr. Cajigas Gonzalez.

An MD-PhD graduate of the joint Harvard-MIT program in health sciences and technology, Dr. Cajigas Gonzalez completed a residency in neurological surgery at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. He followed this up with a postgraduate fellowship in epilepsy, functional and stereotactic neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco.

Among his professional affiliations, Dr. Cajigas Gonzalez is an active member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and the American Medical Association.

Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, surgical treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system. Neurosurgeons are doctors who diagnose and treat problems with the nervous system, often by performing surgery on the brain or spine. They treat strokes, tumors, certain types of birth defects, infections, and head or spinal cord injuries.

On a more personal note, Dr. Gonzalez speaks English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Recommended Articles

• Signs You Need to See a Doctor for Back Pain

  There are a number of potential causes of back pain, but most of them are rare. Most cases of back pain, particularly those that go away with or without over-the-counter treatment, do not require a visit to the doctor. However, if your back pain is accompanied by any of the following signs and...

• Treatment for Parkinson's Disease

  Parkinson’s Disease: It Isn't EasyTony led a normal life just like many of us. He was approaching his fifth to sixth decade, and he was the head of an engineering department--capable of making decisions and recalling those decisions. But suddenly, communication with his wife and children was...

• The History of Lobotomy

  Lobotomy is now considered an inhumane and obsolete procedure that no one would ever want to be subjected to. However, at the time of its advent, it was not the primitive and brutal surgery we view it as today. In a time where medications to treat psychological and emotional conditions were...

• Scoliosis Pain: Treatment, Management, and Exercises

  Scoliosis is a serious condition that often occurs more in females than in males. The condition itself can be hard to diagnose at the start, which is why the healthcare professional will subject the patient to several tests, including asking them to touch their toes as well as to find out if their...

• Recovery After a Laminectomy

  Laminectomy is a surgical procedure done for the removal of the lamina, bone spurs, and ligaments that may be putting pressure on your spinal nerves and causing lower back pain. The procedure is said to be one of the most commonly performed back surgeries. Below is a detailed information on what...

• Are There Risks to a Spinal Stenosis Surgery?

  Like any other surgical procedure, spinal stenosis surgery has its own risks and possible complications. However, if performed correctly by professional medical staff, the possibility of any complication after the surgery is low.The potential risks and possible complications following a spinal...