Information on the MGH Spine & Peripheral Nerve Surgery Center Lawrence F. Borges, M.D. Director, Neurosurgery Spine Center Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Massachusetts 02114 Phone: 617-726-6156 Facsimile: 617-724-7407 Jean-Valéry Coumans, M.D. E-Mail: jcoumans@partners.org Phone: 617-726-3511 Facsimile: 617-643-4115 Ernest S. Mathews, M.D. Director, Spine Evaluation Center Contact: rhamer@partners.org Phone: 617-724-0970 Facsimile: 617-724-0339 Harold A. Wilkinson, MD PhD E-Mail: hwilkinson@partners.org Contact: Elba Montanez Phone: 617-726-3776 Fax: 617-643-4115 Spine (and peripheral nerve entrapment) Evaluation Center MGH Spine Surgeons MGH Developmental Neurosurgery: Spina bifida/myelomenigocele/syrinx/tethered cord information MGH Peripheral Nerve Surgery (carpal tunnel--and other nerve entrapment syndromes and tumors of peripheral nerves such as neurofibromas) Spine tumor information Non-invasive Proton Beam Radiosurgery of spinal tumors The central neurocytoma of the spine Spinal AVM (arteriovenous malformation or arteriovenous fistula) Links to other information Other information on back and neck pain/injury Spinal cord injury links. Information on Arnold Chiari-Malformation and Syringomyelia. Information on repetitive stress injury and other disorders of peripheral nerves including carpal tunnel syndrome Other ergonomics links Catheter...the movie Physician Referral: MGH Neurosurgery Referral System

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 Guestbook | Spine Links

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.
• Ziv Williams, M.D.
• Brooke Swearingen, 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.

• Ernest S. Mathews, M.D.
• 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 Guestbook | Spine Links MGH Spine Evaluation Center | MGH Proton Beam Therapy Unit