Division of spine and peripheral nerve surgery

The division of spine and peripheral nerve surgery has a presence at all of the hospitals and most of the outpatient centers in the Penn Medicine Health System. This division is large, dynamic, robust, and growing. The progressive sub-specialization within the Department of Neurosurgery has facilitated the division to provide focused experiences in education, clinical care and research. The division is based at the Spine Center at Pennsylvania Hospital (“The Nation’s First Hospital”). The center is an integral part of the Department of Neurosurgery at Pennsylvania Hospital and takes advantage of the co-localization and collaboration of associated sub-specialty programs all located within a single building, the Spruce Building, which is a pavilion of the hospital.

The Spruce Building and Spine Center specialists include Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics (Spine), Neurology (EMG testing), Psychiatry, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Pain specialists from the Department of Anesthesiology, Social Work, and others. The building has a floor dedicated to out-patient physical therapy and occupational therapy (Good Shepherd Penn Partners). The Spine Center has a large number of examination rooms where patients are seen by the specialists and advanced practice providers. Dedicated treatment rooms with holding and recovery areas where patient receive injection and other therapies with image guidance are a key component to the “one stop shop” concept of the Spine Center. The Gamma-Knife Center, MRI suites, advanced radiation treatments (including Cyber-Knife and other focused therapies), EMG testing, and operating rooms are all housed within or connected to the Spruce Building as well.

Advanced spinal services are delivered at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (PPMC). HUP has an emphasis on the care of patients with spinal column cancer in addition to degenerative conditions. The surgeons at PPMC have extensive experience managing spinal column trauma, spinal deformity, minimally invasive spine surgery, and peripheral nerve disease. All of the hospitals have full complement of surgical adjuncts including 3-D imaging and reconstruction, laser ablative therapies, ultrasound guidance, microscopes, endoscopes, neurophysiological (spinal cord and nerve) monitoring and others.

Out-patient centers where spine specialists are available for consultation are distributed throughout the PA, NJ and DE areas. Larger centers with multi-modality assessment options are located in Radnor Township (PA), Valley Forge (PA), Yardley (PA), King of Prussia (PA), and Cherry Hill (NJ).

The Spine faculty pride themselves on collaborative care for the maximum benefit of the patient. This collaboration extends into South Jersey with a partnership at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, NJ, a regional referral center, to provide a full range of treatments for routine and complex spinal conditions. This integration has also occurred with spine providers at Lancaster General Hospital and Princeton Medical Center, where cases and outcomes are reviewed.

The Department of Neurosurgery provides many opportunities for education of medical students, post-graduate students, Penn physician residents in training, visiting physician residents, fully-trained physicians interested in honing the expertise, and national/international visiting physicians. The spine division accepts highly-qualified physicians to work for a limited time as Fellows. These physicians come from other nationally-recognized programs to be immersed in the enriched Spine program here at Penn Medicine. The diversity of pathology coupled with engaging faculty creates an environment for fellows to have an impactful, transformative experience.