Jae Choi M.D., M.S.

About Dr. Choi

The human central nervous system is as fascinating as it is complex. Although it is questionable whether we will ever be able to understand it fully, the continuing efforts by the clinical and scientific community has allowed to unravel many of its mechanisms to improve our knowledge about brain physiology, pathophysiology of brain diseases and, ultimately, to find safe and effective ways to treat brain conditions.

My clinical work focuses on patients with diseases of the brain vasculature. The conditions may be congenital, such as brain arteriovenous malformations, or develop over one’s lifetime, such as atherosclerosis and arterial plaques, stroke, brain aneurysms, arteriovenous fistula, and venous thrombosis, or arise from a traumatic event.

Because our Cerebrovascular Team is an interdisciplinary team, with vascular, neuro-endovascular and neurosurgical professionals, we are able to offer a wide range of clinical services to provide a patient-specific, but at the same time, holistic care for patients with vascular conditions of the brain and spine.

I strive to translate the standards and knowledge obtained from the clinical and scientific community efforts to the patients of our practice as transparently and effectively as possible. As a result, endovascular or surgical treatment may be recommended. However, non-invasive management and follow-up consultations are not uncommon. Our care is always highly individual. It is my credo that no disease and no patient is the same.

Education & Training

• Medical School – Martin Luther University, Halle, Germany
• Internship – Martin Luther University Hospital System, Halle, Germany
• Neurology Residency – Stroke and Trauma Center, Academic Hospital Bergmannstrost, Halle, Germany
• MD Master’s Thesis – Charité-Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
• Fellowship – Psychiatry, Martin Luther University, Halle, Germany
• Fellowship – Stroke Center/Neurological Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
• Fellowship – Academic Interventional MRI, Department of Radiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY

Academic & Professional Activities

• Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Stroke Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY (2008-2011)
• Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY (2012-2018)
• Medical Director, Center for Unruptured Brain Aneurysms, NSPC Brain & Spine Surgery (NSPC), Lake Success, NY (2016 – Current)

Focus Area

• Brain Aneurysm
• Brain Arteriovenous Malformation
• Atherosclerotic Occlusive Disease of the Neck and Brain Arteries
• Stroke

Participating Insurance

• Medicare
• Aetna
• Cigna
• United Healthcare
• Oxford
• Magnacare
• Workers Compensation
• No-Fault

Patient Testimonials

Publications

Research & Publications

• Stroke and Vascular Occlusive Disease of the Brain
  • Choi JH, Bateman BT, Mangla S, et al. Endovascular recanalization therapy in acute ischemic stroke. Stroke 2006; 37: 419-24.
  • Prabhakaran S, Chen M, Choi JH, et al. Major neurologic improvement following endovascular recanalization therapy for acute ischemic stroke. Cerebrovasc Diseases 2008; 25: 401-407.
  • Giannopoulos S, Boden-Albala B, Choi JH, et al. Metabolic Syndrome and Cerebral Vasomotor Reactivity. European Journal of Neurology 2010; 17: 1457-62.
  • Choi JH, Watzke S, Preuss UW. Diagnostic correlates of Alzheimer Dementia in a US Nationwide Inpatient Sample. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 2010; 18: 821-9.
  • Ortega-Gutierrez S, Petersen N, Masurkar A, et al. Reliability, asymmetry, and age influence on dynamic cerebral autoregulation measured by spontaneous fluctuations of blood pressure in healthy individuals. J Neuroimaging. 2014 Jul-Aug; 24(4): 379–386.
  • Choi JH, Pile-Spellman J, Brisman JL. US nationwide trends in carotid revascularization: hospital outcome and predictors of outcome from 1998 to 2007. Acta Neurol Scand 2014; 129: 85-93.
  • Choi JH, Pile-Spellman J, Brisman JL. US nationwide trends in carotid revascularization: Is there a clinical opportunity cost associated with the introduction of novel medical devices? Acta Neurol Scand 2014 ;129: 94-101.
  • Choi JH, Pile-Spellman J. Reperfusion changes after stroke and practical approaches for neuroprotection. Neuroimaging Clinics 2018; 28: 663-82.

• Vascular Malformations of the Brain
  • Choi JH, Mohr JP. Brain arteriovenous malformations in adults. Lancet Neurology 2005; 4: 299¬–308.
  • Choi JH, Mohr JP, Sciacca RR, et al. Clinical outcome after first and recurrent hemorrhage in patients with untreated brain arteriovenous malformation. Stroke 2006; 37: 1243-47.
  • Hartmann A, Mast H, Choi JH, et al. Treatment of arteriovenous malformations of the brain. Current Neurology and Neuroscience Report 2007; 7: 28-34.
  • Choi JH, Stapf C, Marshall RS, et al. Focal Neurological Deficits in Patients with Unruptured Brain Arteriovenous Malformation. Journal of the Neurological Sciences 2009; 287: 126-130.
  • Arteriovenous malformations and other vascular anomalies. In: Mohr JP, Wolf PA, Grotta JC, et al. (Ed). Stroke: Pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management. Elsevier Saunders, 5th Edition, 2011: 616-642.
  • Choi JH, Pile-Spellman J, Brisman J. Trends in the management of intracranial vascular malformations in the USA from 2000 to 2007. Stroke Res Treat. 2012; 2012: 734871. doi:10.1155/2012/734871
  • Pathophysiology of arteriovenous anomaly-related hemorrhage. In: Lee SH, (Ed). Stroke Revisited: Hemorrhagic Stroke. Springer, 2018: 69-78.

• Neuroprotection via Selective Brain Hypothermia in Acute Ischemic Stroke
  • Konstas AA, Choi JH, Pile-Spellman J. Neuroprotection for ischemic stroke using hypothermia. Neurocritical Care 2006; 4: 168-178.
  • Choi JH, Marshall RS, Neimark MA, et al. Selective Brain Cooling with Endovascular Intra-Carotid Infusion of Cold Saline. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2010; 31: 935-939.
  • Selective Brain Hypothermia. In: Romanovsky AA, (Ed). Handbook of Clinical Neurology. Thermoregulation, Part II. San Diego: Elsevier BV, 2018: 839-852.
  • Wang Y, Choi JH, Almekhlafi MA, et al. A system for continuous pre- to post-reperfusion intra-carotid cold infusion for selective brain hypothermia in rodent stroke models. Transl Stroke Res 2020; DOI 10.1007/s12975-020-00848-3.
  • Choi JH, Poli S, Chen M, et al. Selective Brain Hypothermia in Acute Ischemic Stroke: Reperfusion Without Reperfusion Injury. Front Neurol 2020; DOI 10.3389/fneur.2020.594289.

Honors & Awards

• Clinical Research Fellowship Grants – Departments of Neurology & Radiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
• Dana Foundation Neuroscience Grant (Co-PI)
• Irving Institute – Columbia University Research Grant (PI and co-Investigator)
• NIH-NINDS R41 (Co-PI)