Spine and Peripheral Nerve Surgery Center

Neurosurgical evaluation of neck and back pain, nerve compression syndromes, herniated intervertebral discs, and spinal cord compression syndromes. Information regarding peripheral nerve (including nerve compression such as carpal tunnel syndrome) and spine surgery and the Neurosurgical Service's Spine Evaluation Unit.

The Purpose of this Center is to provide a complete range of services for the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of patients with spine and peripheral nerve disorders. Patients may be referred for consultation only, care in partnership with referring physician, or complete management.

Spine Referrals | Peripheral Nerve Surgeons | Spine Surgeons Spine Evaluation Center | Spine Links

Spine Surgeons - Spine surgeons with special expertise in cervical thoracic, lumbar, and lumbosacral intervertebral disc removal, treatment of spine fractures and other spine injuries, spinal synovial or ganglion cysts, spinal cord herniation syndromes, Arnold Chiari-Malformation, syringomyelia, vertebral hemangiomas, schwannomas (neuromas), neurofibromas, gliomas (including astrocytoma, olgiodendroglioma, ependymoma, and ganglioglioma) chordomas, spinal chondrosarcomas, other spine tumors, and surgery for spinal stenosis:

• Lawrence F. Borges, M.D.
• Jean-Valéry Coumans, M.D.
• Emad Eskandar, M.D.
• John H. Shin, M.D.
• Brooke Swearingen, M.D.
• Ziv Williams, M.D.

It is of special note that the first discectomy for a herniated intervertebral disc was performed at MGH, as was the first successful stabilization of atlantoaxial instability of the cervical spine.

For links to other information on disorders of the spine (including back and neck pain and injury) click here.

Peripheral Nerve Surgery - Including the surgical therapy of nerve entrapment such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Also see the MGH Neurogenetics Homepage for more information on neurofibromatosis and other inherited peripheral nerve tumor syndromes.

• Lawrence F. Borges, M.D.
• Ziv Williams, M.D.
  

For links to other information on peripheral nerve diseases click here.

Radiosurgical Treatment of Spinal Tumors - Non-invasive proton beam radiosurgery is the adjuvant treatment of choice for a number of tumors of the spine including chordoma and chondrosarcoma. Its advantages over other methods of stereotactic radiosurgery for these tumors are based primarily on its ability to optimally target unusually shaped lesions and lesions outside of the cranium. For information regarding the radiosurgical treatment of spinal tumors contact:

The Proton Beam Therapy Unit

Spinal dural arteriovenous malformations (AVMs or ateriovenous fistulas)

• Lawrence F. Borges, M.D.
• Chris Ogilvy, M.D.
• An article on spine dural-AVMs from the Neurovascular News at MGH/Harvard
• Links to more information about spinal AVMs

MGH Spine Evaluation Center - The Spine Evaluation Center has been established to provide timely out-patient consultation for patients with neurosurgical neurosurgical evaluation of neck and back pain. Patients with routine or complicated spinal disc syndromes as well as undiagnosed neurological problems related to the spine will be evaluated. This will include cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spondylitic disorders with or without nerve root compression, spinal cord compression, herniated intervertebral discs, spinal cord tumors, syringomyelia, or other congenital spine disorders.

• Harold A. Wilkinson, MD PhD

See a complete description of services provided by the Spine Evaluation Center Referrals | Peripheral Nerve Surgeons | Spine Surgeons | Evaluation Center | Spine Links | MGH Spine Evaluation Center | MGH Proton Beam Therapy Unit