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Spine
The UW Department of Neurological Surgery specializes in the treatment of all spine and spinal cord diseases and disorders. Our multi-disciplinary team, made up of neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, and rehabilitation medicine physicians, evaluates patients with complex spine and spinal cord problems. With one of the largest spine and spinal cord experiences in the world, we are able to provide patients comprehensive care, bring cutting-edge research from the laboratory to the clinical setting, and ensure state-of-the art facilities and resources for the population. Our unique clinical expertise has resulted in the development of new therapies and instrumentation for the spinal cord and spine. US News & World Report lists our Rehabilitation facilities as one of the best in the US.
Drs. Randy Chesnut, Richard Ellenbogen, Robert Goodkin, David Pitkethly, Daniel Silbergeld and Trent Tredway provide the neurosurgical services for our team at the four UW affiliated hospitals.
UW Medicine Spine Center at Harborview:
http://www.uwmedicine.org/PatientCare/MedicalSpecialties/SpecialtyCare/HARBORVIEW/Spine/index.htm
View the video "Sports Injuries: Spine and Head, Parts I and II", presented by our UW Spine Physicians
For more information on spine and spinal cord disorders, please read the following primer:
The spine (vertebral column) provides structural support to the head, neck, and body, while protecting the spinal cord. The spinal cord is intimately involved with movement, sensation, bowel and bladder function, and autonomic function (control over the internal organs, blood vessels, and other areas of the body not under voluntary or purposeful control). Neurosurgeons are concerned with both the bony spine and spinal cord and treat problems that result from age and use-related degeneration, abnormal growth and development, trauma, tumors, infections and vascular lesions.
The majority of spine-related problems result from normal degeneration of the bones, ligaments and disks of the spine. Herniated or slipped disks, spinal stenosis (narrowing of the canal through which the spinal cord travels), scoliosis and kyphotic deformities (abnormal curvature or bending of the spine) and spondylolisthesis (slipping of the bones of the spine) are common problems. Symptoms related to these issues include pain traveling down from the neck into the arms and hands or from the back down the legs, abnormal or loss of sensation in the arms, hands, legs, or feet, weakness of the arms, hands, legs, or feet, difficulty passing stool or urinating, balance problems, change in walking style, difficulty breathing and abnormal posture. Surgery to correct these problems may be indicated if the symptoms are directly related to the structural problem. Alternatively, surgery may not help, but medications, change in lifestyle, and physical therapy may be needed.
Congenital defects (problems that result from abnormal growth and/or development) of the spine and spinal cord include spina bifida (incomplete closure of the spinal cord or myelomeningocele), scoliosis (bending or twisting of bony spine), tethered spinal cord and diastematomyelia (abnormal division of the spinal cord associated with a bony spur). Some of these problems are recognized at or before birth and must be surgically treated within a few days of their diagnosis. Other problems may not be obvious until a patient experiences a growth spurt or develops symptoms or signs related to that problem. Examples of symptoms include abnormal curvature of the spine or abnormal posture and characteristic leg pain and urinary difficulties. In most cases, congenital abnormalities require surgical correction.
Trauma to the spinal and spinal cord result in approximately 10,000 new spinal cord injuries per year in the US. Most injuries result from motor vehicle crashes, violent acts and falls, with over 80% of injuries occurring in males. Spine and spinal cord injuries generally result in devastating loss of neurological function, although occasionally injuries affect only the bone and spare the spinal cord. While surgery may be required to repair fractures, stabilize the bony spine, stop bleeding or repair torn membranes, it usually cannot repair or restore function to the spinal cord itself. Thus, the goal of surgery is to prevent further injury from occurring and maximize the opportunities for patients to participate in rehabilitation and physical therapy.
Just as tumors, infections, and vascular lesions can occur in the brain, they occur in the spine and spinal cord. Tumors of the spinal cord may cause symptoms such as weakness, loss of sensation, and bowel and bladder problems that result from interrupting spinal cord function. These tumors may be benign or malignant and are generally primary tumors, not metastatic lesions (please see tumor sections for more details). Examples of spinal cord tumors are astrocytomas, ependymomas, meningiomas, schwannomas, and epidermoids. Vascular lesions, such as AVM's, may also be found in the spinal cord. They too can cause symptoms that are similar to tumors and may even cause spinal cord strokes. Surgery may be warranted for removal or tumors, vascular lesions, and infection. In some cases, radiation and chemotherapy may be required.
Introduction
| Aneurysms | Brain
Mapping | Case Studies | Chiari
Malformation
Congenital Abnormalities | Epilepsy
| Movement Disorders | Pain
and Spasticity
Pediatrics | Peripheral
Nerves | Radio Surgery and Radiotherapy
Spine | Stroke
and Vascular Lesions | Trauma | Tumors