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Home > TX Providers > Neurosurgeons

Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD

(1 Rating)

Specializes in: Neurosurgery

University of Texas Southwestern Medical School

Professional interests include: lumbar decompression, spinal fusion, spinal cord injury

5282 Medical Drive Suite 600
San Antonio, TX 78229

(210) 375-3399

Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD is a neurosurgeon in San Antonio, TX specializing in neurosurgery. He graduated from University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD is affiliated with CHRISTUS Health, Baptist Health System, Baptist Hospital and CORA SOUTH CAROLINA LLC.

Office Locations

Address:

5282 Medical Drive Suite 600
San Antonio, TX 78229

Some issues Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD can help you with:

Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury medicine is a branch of medicine that treats damage to the spinal cord from an injury or a nontraumatic myelopathy, which is any disorder that affects the spinal area. The spinal cord is a section of nerve tissue protected by the vertebrae (spinal bones). Trauma to the spinal cord, typically caused by compression or bent vertebrae, prevents the body and brain from communicating. This can result in pain, loss of sensation, and impaired physical function and movement. Acute spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are a leading cause of permanent disability. Spinal cord injuries may develop from accidents or myelopathies, disorders that provoke spinal compression. Traumatic incidents such as falls, sports injuries, vehicle accidents, and bullet or stab wounds can cause an acute spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury medicine seeks to stabilize the spine and to alleviate the symptoms of spine damage. Practitioners of spinal cord injury medicine are called spinal cord injury specialists. Spinal cord injury medicine is an interdisciplinary field, meaning physicians of various specialties may be trained to treat spinal cord injuries.

Damage to the spinal cord may initially be diagnosed through X-ray, MRI, or CT scans. Patients can also undergo spinal exams to evaluate their sensory ability and strength. Injuries to the spinal cord can be complete (no feeling or sensation) or incomplete (some feeling or sensation remains). Conditions spinal cord injury medicine specialists may treat include:

Paralysis, such as paraplegia (loss of function in the legs), or quadriplegia (loss of function from the neck down)
Spine fracture or trauma, which can lead to impairment and/or significant pain
Spinal infections
Myelopathies, such as herniated disks, spinal tumors, and rheumatoid arthritis
Inflammatory diseases such as ankylosing spondylosis, and degenerative conditions like Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS)

Treatment for spinal cord injuries often involves surgery, either directly after an injury occurs or at a later date. Surgery for spine injuries is intended to ease spinal compression and stabilize the spine. Surgical procedures can involve shifting vertebrae, removing bone, or altering spinal placement with implantable devices. Patients with significant spinal trauma may require urgent surgical intervention.

Surgical treatments can be complemented by rehabilitative physical therapy to improve mobility. Spinal cord injury specialists also treat complications arising from a spinal injury, such as respiratory or bladder conditions. Some patients with spinal cord injuries may require lifelong treatment. Spinal cord injury specialists aim to help these patients successfully adjust and lead an improved quality of life. An emerging treatment for spinal cord injuries is neural prosthetics, which replicate patients' lost nerve function. Neural prostheses may be used as artificial body parts or assistive devices that patients may cognitively control. Other assistive devices include wheelchairs and scooters.

Spinal cord injury specialists may collaborate with physical therapists, radiologists, neurologists, urologists, and orthopedists.

Spinal Fusion

Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure to permanently join together two or more vertebrae, the bones in the spine. Certain spinal disorders can lead to instability and pain, and the idea behind spinal fusion is that fusing vertebrae together can both make them stronger and reduce motion, which can sometimes reduce pain.

There are several different types of spinal fusion surgery available, mostly depending on where a patient's pain is located and whether his or her surgeon will perform the procedure through the back, front, or side. In general, a fusion is performed by packing the vertebrae to be fused with grafted bone. This bone may be taken from the patient's hip, may be donated from a cadaver, or it may be a manufactured synthetic material. The bone is placed along the vertebrae, and sometimes, the disc that lies in between the vertebrae is removed and replaced with grafted bone. The bone material will grow and cement the two vertebrae together. After the bone graft is placed, the vertebrae are sometimes held in place with rods, screws, plates, or cages, depending on the weakness of the spine and needs of the graft.

Spinal fusion is a significant surgery and can take three to four hours or more. Recovery is typically two to four days in the hospital. After surgery, it is important to remember that the fusion takes time to grow from the bone graft. So, the actual fusion is not complete for several months. Patients will probably feel somewhat better right away, but it may take a while to feel the full effects of the fusion as the bone grows into place. In the meantime, doctors might have patients wear a brace to protect their spine and keep it properly aligned.

Spinal fusion is not used for all kinds of back pain. Changing the way the spine moves can lead to strain on the other joints in the back, and fusion is only performed when the benefits outweigh the risks. Some spine disorders that are treated with fusion include:

Curvature disorders, such as scoliosis and kyphosis
Degenerative disc disease
Spondylolisthesis, a disorder that causes vertebrae to slip over each other
Significant spinal fractures that cause instability
Weakened spine due to infection or tumor
Some cases of spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal column
Chronic lower back pain (although the use of fusion to treat this is controversial)

Regardless of the diagnosis, there is always a possibility of 'failure' with spinal fusion, or of the surgery not fully solving the pain. This is more likely when fusion is used primarily to treat pain instead of structural problems. Patients can improve their chances of a successful outcome by stopping smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, moving their body every day, and following their doctor's instructions for any physical therapy that they are prescribed.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	21
decompression surgery	49
doctor visit	260
hospital care	43
inpatient care	43
neck surgery	10
nerve procedures	49
spinal procedures	71

**Gender**
Male	102
Female	121

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	166
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	113
From 75 to 84	65
85 and over	13
Less than 65	32

Hypertension	70
High Cholesterol	63
Stroke	9
Ischemic Heart Disease	42
Depression	27
Chronic Kidney Disease	21
Asthma	10
Osteoperosis	9
Atrial Fibrilation	8
Heart Failure	13
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	13
Diabetes	30
Dementia	11
Cancer	12

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	11
aspiration	14
bone marrow tests	14
decompression surgery	52
doctor visit	338
hospital care	48
inpatient care	48
neck surgery	13
nerve procedures	52
spinal procedures	47

**Gender**
Male	119
Female	146

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	199
Black	0
Hispanic	53
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	133
From 75 to 84	72
85 and over	19
Less than 65	41

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	65
Stroke	14
Ischemic Heart Disease	38
Depression	26
Chronic Kidney Disease	22
Asthma	8
Osteoperosis	11
Atrial Fibrilation	7
Heart Failure	17
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	12
Diabetes	32
Dementia	13
Cancer	15

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	9
aspiration	14
bone marrow tests	14
decompression surgery	52
doctor visit	336
hospital care	66
inpatient care	66
neck surgery	11
nerve procedures	52
spinal procedures	47

**Gender**
Male	208
Female	312

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	368
Black	0
Hispanic	130
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	270
From 75 to 84	140
85 and over	32
Less than 65	78

Hypertension	74
High Cholesterol	68
Stroke	17
Ischemic Heart Disease	44
Depression	27
Chronic Kidney Disease	32
Asthma	13
Osteoperosis	10
Atrial Fibrilation	11
Heart Failure	20
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	12
Diabetes	40
Dementia	12
Cancer	12

aspiration	18
bone marrow tests	18
decompression surgery	44
doctor visit	372
hospital care	27
inpatient care	27
nerve procedures	44
spinal procedures	39

**Gender**
Male	122
Female	147

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	196
Black	0
Hispanic	61
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	144
From 75 to 84	82
85 and over	13
Less than 65	30

Hypertension	73
High Cholesterol	67
Stroke	10
Ischemic Heart Disease	46
Depression	25
Chronic Kidney Disease	35
Asthma	14
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	8
Heart Failure	15
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	13
Diabetes	34
Dementia	13
Cancer	13

decompression surgery	27
doctor visit	433
hospital care	29
inpatient care	29
nerve procedures	27
spinal procedures	22

**Gender**
Male	117
Female	165

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	206
Black	0
Hispanic	62
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	124
From 75 to 84	91
85 and over	23
Less than 65	44

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	61
Stroke	11
Ischemic Heart Disease	32
Depression	29
Chronic Kidney Disease	35
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	11
Atrial Fibrilation	8
Heart Failure	18
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	12
Diabetes	37
Dementia	14
Cancer	12

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	21
decompression surgery	73
doctor visit	577
hospital care	16
implant surgery	12
inpatient care	16
minimally invasive procedures	24
neck surgery	12
nerve procedures	73
neurostimulator lead placement	24
neurostimulator replacement	12
spinal procedures	117

**Gender**
Male	169
Female	195

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	267
Black	0
Hispanic	75
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	164
From 75 to 84	121
85 and over	25
Less than 65	54

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	71
Stroke	6
Ischemic Heart Disease	34
Depression	26
Chronic Kidney Disease	32
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	10
Atrial Fibrilation	5
Heart Failure	16
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	14
Diabetes	37
Dementia	12
Cancer	12

**Gender**
Male	164
Female	203

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	272
Black	0
Hispanic	77
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	169
From 75 to 84	129
85 and over	20
Less than 65	49

Hypertension	71
High Cholesterol	67
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	39
Depression	26
Chronic Kidney Disease	35
Asthma	10
Osteoperosis	12
Atrial Fibrilation	7
Heart Failure	15
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	11
Diabetes	32
Dementia	11
Cancer	11

decompression surgery	32
doctor visit	392
nerve procedures	32
spinal procedures	27

**Gender**
Male	116
Female	148

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	184
Black	0
Hispanic	68
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	135
From 75 to 84	80
85 and over	19
Less than 65	30

Hypertension	73
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	5
Ischemic Heart Disease	40
Depression	28
Chronic Kidney Disease	35
Asthma	10
Osteoperosis	11
Atrial Fibrilation	8
Heart Failure	13
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	9
Diabetes	32
Dementia	9
Cancer	13

decompression surgery	65
doctor visit	876
implant surgery	14
minimally invasive procedures	27
nerve procedures	65
neurostimulator lead placement	27
neurostimulator replacement	14
spinal procedures	103

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2013 - 2021

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD treated as a neurosurgeon in San Antonio, TX were spinal procedures, nerve procedures, decompression surgery and inpatient care.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	17
aspiration	15
bone marrow tests	15
decompression surgery	52
doctor visit	460
hospital care	34
implant surgery	13
inpatient care	34
minimally invasive procedures	25
neck surgery	13
nerve procedures	52
neurostimulator lead placement	25
neurostimulator replacement	13
spinal procedures	64

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2013 - 2021

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD.

**Gender**
Female	143
Male	111

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	0
Asian / Pacific Islander	0
Non-Hispanic White	185
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Hispanic	52
Other	0

**Age**
85 and over	16
75 to 84	78
Less than 65	35
65 to 74	125

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD From 2013 - 2021

The highest averages of the most common conditions of Medicare patients that Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD treated were hypertension, high cholesterol, ischemic heart disease and diabetes.

Hypertension	58
High Cholesterol	53
Stroke	7
Ischemic Heart Disease	31
Depression	21
Chronic Kidney Disease	24
Asthma	8
Osteoporosis	8
Heart Failure	12
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	9
Diabetes	27
Atrial Fibrillation	6
Cancer	10
Dementia	9

Education & Training

Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD graduated from University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He completed residency at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and Affiliated Hospitals. He is certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and has a state license in Texas.

Medical School: University of Texas Southwestern Medical School

Residency: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and Affiliated Hospitals

Board Certification: American Board of Neurological Surgery

Licensed In: Texas

Affiliations & Hospitals

Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD is associated with these hospitals and organizations:

CHRISTUS Health

Baptist Health System

Baptist Hospital

CORA SOUTH CAROLINA LLC

Ratings & Reviews

Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD has an exceptional overall rating with an average of 5.0 out of 5 stars based on 1 ratings. We collect ratings and reviews of Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD from all over the web to help you find the right in San Antonio, TX.

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General Payments

These charts describe general payments received by Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD. Doctors may receive payments for a number of reasons, including meal compensation, travel compensation, and consulting.

**Payments by Company**
NUVASIVE, INC.	$1,856 XLIF $1,427	Cervicothoracic $75	Pulse $73	Thoracolumbar $47	Archon $36	Other $199
Centinel Spine, LLC	$418 PRODISC C $156	Prodisc Vivo $134	PRODISC C VIVO $127
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.	$366 EXPEDIUM $108	Neurosurgery $87	ACIS $64	SKYLINE $57	SYNFLATE $34	Other $16
Globus Medical, Inc.	$309 Spine $245	Altera $64
Providence Medical Technology, Inc.	$185 BIOLOGIX Allograft Bone $185
Other	$416 VariLift $67	Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs $66	Spinal Cord Neurostimulation - Neuro $48	DuraSeal Exact $28	Head and Neck Surgery $20	Other $187

**Types of Payments**
Food and Beverage	$2,410
Travel and Lodging	$1,001
Gift	$140

Ownership and Interest Payments

This table describes ownership payments received by Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD.

Wenzel Spine, Inc.	2013	$14,000.00	Physician Covered Recipient	Common Stock
Wenzel Spine, Inc.	2014	$14,000.00	Physician Covered Recipient	COMMON STOCK

Biography

Dr. Frank Fichtel's specialty is neurosurgery. Dr. Fichtel's education and training includes medical school at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and residency at a hospital affiliated with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Areas of expertise for Dr. Fichtel include spinal cord injury, lumbar decompression, and spinal fusion. He is affiliated with CHRISTUS Health and Baptist Health System.

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Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD

Office Locations

Some issues Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD can help you with:

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2013 Medicare Procedure Volume

2013 Medicare Patient Data

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD in 2013

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2014 Medicare Procedure Volume

2014 Medicare Patient Data

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD in 2014

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2015 Medicare Procedure Volume

2015 Medicare Patient Data

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD in 2015

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2016 Medicare Procedure Volume

2016 Medicare Patient Data

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD in 2016

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2017 Medicare Procedure Volume

2017 Medicare Patient Data

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD in 2017

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2018 Medicare Procedure Volume

2018 Medicare Patient Data

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD in 2018

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2019 Medicare Procedure Volume

2019 Medicare Patient Data

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD in 2019

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2020 Medicare Procedure Volume

2020 Medicare Patient Data

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD in 2020

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2021 Medicare Procedure Volume

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2013 - 2021

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2013 - 2021

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Frank Manuel Fichtel, MD From 2013 - 2021

Education & Training

Affiliations & Hospitals

Ratings & Reviews

General Payments

Ownership and Interest Payments

Biography

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