Spinal Disorders

The UCSF Spine Center offers comprehensive diagnosis and therapeutic management of all diseases and disorders affecting the spine, spinal cord, and nerve roots.

State-of-the-art diagnostic and surgical tools help eliminate pain, restore functional capacity and improve quality of life. We provide personalized care plans from initial diagnosis through surgery and recovery, with input from specialists in endocrinology (bone health), neurology, neuroradiology, orthopaedic surgery, oncology, physiatry, and pain management. Long-term rehabilitation plans are especially important to prevent complications and reoperation, and the team approach helps manage comorbidities such as osteoporosis and arthritis.

Our specialists have extensive training and experience to manage:

• Degenerative spine disease
• Spinal deformity (kyphosis/scoliosis)
• Spinal tumors (primary and metastatic bone tumors as well as intradural tumors)
• Spinal trauma
• Osteoporotic and geriatric spinal pathology
• Revision spinal surgery to treat failed fusions or adjacent level pathology

UCSF neurosurgeons have extensive experience using both traditional open and newer minimally invasive spinal techniques to treat the above pathologies. UCSF is also one of the only institutions in the U.S. to offer awake spine surgery for minimally invasive fusions and decompressions. Awake surgery can shorten surgery time and avoids side effects of general anesthesia. It may also be an option for patients with other medical conditions that prevent them from undergoing general anesthesia.

We have the latest in technology available to treat our patients including:

• Intraoperative CT scan and navigation systems
• State-of-the-art neuromonitoring 
• CyberKnife radiosurgery

We also offer non-operative care with novel injection techniques and blocs.

Neurospine research efforts are organized with nationally recognized groups including the International Spine Study Group and the Quality Outcomes Database. There is also an active artificial intelligence research program focused on predictive models for complications, outcomes and costs.