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he three doctors of South Texas Brain and Spine Center in Corpus Christi are on a special healing mission for their patients. They have helped children to see again and patients of all ages to walk again – to become pain free and live full lives again. And since they are the only neurosurgery practice in existence for 100 miles in all directions around the city, Drs. Matthew Alexander, Howard Smith and P. Langham Gleason stay extremely busy working their magic. All three physicians perform the most minimally invasive surgeries, using a scope and imaging, necessary to get their patients back up to speed. They have a clinic in Victoria, and Gleason, who is a pediatric neurosurgeon, travels to the Rio Grande Valley to see patients there. Alexander’s specialty is adult brain and spine surgery. “I do complex brain and spine surgery on adults, mainly,” Alexander said. “My expertise is in minimally invasive complex spine surgery, such as fractures.” He treats Parkinson’s disease, handles pain management and performs carpal tunnel surgeries. Alexander also performs deep brain stimulation surgery for Parkinson’s disease, where the patient is wide-awake during surgery to tell doctors what he or she is experiencing. Doctors insert electrodes into the brain to control the tremors. “It’s really pretty cool,” Alexander said. “It can be very effective, but it’s not for everybody. It really improves a patient’s quality of life.” The most rewarding part of being a neurosurgeon for Alexander is seeing how he can change someone’s life, he said. For instance, the patient may have been paralyzed, but is able to walk again. He cautions, however, that results aren’t always optimal and that patients can’t always get the results they want. “But the patient is happy that they are pain free,” he said. “I see that on an almost daily or weekly basis where patients are happy with the outcomes and can get back to their normal lives.” Alexander began the group practice in Corpus Christi in 2004 after moving to the city to be closer to his brother, Dr. Thomas Alexander, a cardiologist in town, and a sister who is a neurologist in Houston. He grew up in Louisville, Ky., with his dad, now a retired general surgeon. It was his
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