UCSF Neurological Surgery faculty since 2002
 
Dr. Ames is director of spinal tumor and spinal deformity surgery and is co-director of the Neurospinal Disorders Program and of the UCSF Spine Center. He is also director of the spine tumor and deformity fellowship program. He is board certified in neurosurgery. His clinical tumor practice focuses on en bloc tumor resection for chordoma, chondrosarcoma, soft tissue sarcoma, sacral tumors, and other primary and metastatic tumors. While at UCSF, Dr. Ames developed and published the transpedicular approach to previously unresectable cervical and cervical thoracic tumors. He is chairman of several national and international courses on advanced tumor resection and deformity techniques. In 2007, he served as editor of the Neurosurgical Clinics of North America issue on primary bone tumors.
 
Dr. Ames also directs the Neurosurgical Spinal Deformity service which performs over 200 cases per year for correction of scoliosis, kyphosis, flat back, chin on chest deformity in ankylosing spondylitis, basilar invagination in rheumatoid arthritis, spondylolisthesis and postoperative deformity. His clinical interest focuses on the use of pedicle subtraction osteotomy and vertebral resection to achieve optimal deformity correction.
 
Dr. Ames also performs state-of-the-art percutaneous fusion procedures and was the first surgeon in the state of California to perform the TRANS1 percutaneous minimally invasive fusion procedure (http://www.trans1inc.com/). He has published extensively in spinal biomechanics and the use of resorbable polymers for spinal reconsruction. Dr. Ames is the 2005 winner of the prestigious International Society for Study of the Lumbar Spine research award for his work on spinal fusion in tumor reconstructions requiring radiation therapy (http://www.issls.org/). Currently, Dr. Ames is the principal investigator in 5 randomized prospective clinical trials evaluating novel mechanisms of spinal reconstruction in tumor surgery and spinal deformity.
 
In December 2005, Dr. Ames was sought out by the NBC show "Three Wishes" to perform surgery for a patient with severe scoliosis. Although she had been previously told that she would remain permanently paralyzed, the operation allowed her to walk again. For more information, see the The Daily Star's report: http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2005/12/02/top_stories/news01.txt
 
 
Click here to view the brochure for the Neurospinal Disorders Program of the Department of Neurological Surgery (PDF)
 
 
Education, Training, and Previous Positions
 
1989: BA, Dartmouth College
1994: MD, University of California, Los Angeles
1994-1995: Surgical Internship, University of California, San Diego
1995-2000: Resident in Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Diego
2001-2002: Spine Fellow, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona
 
Selected Professional Memberships and Appointments
 
The Cervical Spine Research Society
The International Society for Study of the Lumbar Spine (ISSLS)
 
Selected Honors and Awards
 
1989: Cum Laude, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
1994: Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, University of California, Los Angeles
2001: Chairman's Prize, University of California, San Diego
2005: ISSLS Award
 
Contact
 
Christopher P Ames MD
University of California, San Francisco
Department of Neurological Surgery
505 Parnassus Ave. Rm. M779
San Francisco, CA 94143-0112
Phone: (415) 353-3998 (academic)
             (415) 353-2188 (clinical)
 
Selected Recent Publications
 
Acosta FL Jr, Sanai N, Chi JH, Dowd CF, Chin C, Tihan T, Chou D, Weinstein PR, Ames CP. Comprehensive management of symptomatic and aggressive vertebral hemangiomas. Neurosurg Clin N Am 2008;19(1):17-29.
 
Aryan HE, Lu DC, Acosta FL Jr, Ames CP. Stand-alone anterior lumbar discectomy and fusion with plate: initial experience. Surg Neurol 2007;68(1):7-13.
 
Aryan HE, Sanchez-Mejia RO, Ben-Haim S, Ames CP. Successful treatment of cervical myelopathy with minimal morbidity by circumferential decompression and fusion [published online ahead of print January 11, 2007]. Eur Spine J. doi: 10.1007/s00586-006-0291-9.
 
Acosta FL Jr, Ames CP, Chou D. Operative Management of Adult High-Grade Lumbosacral Spondylolisthesis. Neurosurg Clin N Am 2007;18(2):249-254.
 
Aryan HE, Lu DC, Acosta FL Jr, Hartl R, McCormick PW, Ames CP. Bioabsorbable anterior cervical plating: initial multicenter clinical and radiographic experience. Spine 2007;32(10):1084-8.
 
Acosta FL Jr, Aryan HE, Chi J, Parsa AT, Ames CP. Modified paramedian transpedicular approach and spinal reconstruction for intradural tumors of the cervical and cervicothoracic spine: clinical experience. Spine 2007;32(6):E203-10.
 
Espinoza-Larios A, Ames CP, Chamberlain RH, Sonntag VK, Dickman CA, Crawford NR. Biomechanical comparison of two-level cervical locking posterior screw/rod and hook/rod techniques. Spine J 2007;7(2):194-204.
 
Aryan HE, Lu DC, Acosta FL Jr, Ames CP. Corpectomy followed by the placement of instrumentation with titanium cages and recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 for vertebral osteomyelitis. J Neurosurg Spine 2007;6(1):23-30.
 
Aryan HE, Sanchez-Mejia RO, Ben-Haim S, Ames CP. Successful treatment of cervical myelopathy with minimal morbidity by circumferential decompression and fusion [published online ahead of print January 11, 2007]. Eur Spine J. doi: 10.1007/s00586-006-0291-9.
 
Aryan HE, Box KW, Ibrahim D, Desiraju U, Ames CP. Safety and efficacy of dexmedetomidine in neurosurgical patients. Brain Inj 2006;20(8):791-8.
 
Acosta FL Jr, Aryan HE, Ames CP. Successful outcome of six-level cervicothoracic corpectomy and circumferential reconstruction: case report and review of literature on multilevel cervicothoracic corpectomy. Eur Spine J 2006;15 Suppl 17:670-4.
 
Parsa AT, Chi JH, Acosta FL Jr, Ames CP, McCormick PC. Intramedullary spinal cord tumors: molecular insights and surgical innovation. Clin Neurosurg 2005;52:76-84.
 
Auguste KI, Chin C, Acosta FL, Ames CP. Expandable cylindrical cages in the cervical spine: a review of 22 cases. J Neurosurg Spine 2006;4(4):285-91.
 
Aryan HE, Ames CP, Szandera B, Nguyen AD, Acosta FL Jr, Taylor WR. Coblation of spinal endplates in preparation for interbody spinal fusion. J Clin Neurosci 2006;13(3):349-52.
 
Acosta FL Jr, Dowd CF, Chin C, Tihan T, Ames CP, Weinstein PR. Current treatment strategies and outcomes in the management of symptomatic vertebral hemangiomas. Neurosurgery 2006;58(2):287-95; discussion 287-95.
 
Lee J, Parsa AT, Ames CP, McCormick PC. Clinical management of intramedullary spinal ependymomas in adults [Review]. Neurosurg Clin N Am 2006;17(1):21-7.
 
Tihan T, Chi JH, McCormick PC, Ames CP, Parsa AT. Pathologic and epidemiologic findings of intramedullary spinal cord tumors [Review]. Neurosurg Clin N Am 2006;17(1):7-11.
 
Ames CP, Bozkus MH, Chamberlain RH, Acosta FL, Papadopoulos SM, Sonntag VKH, Crawford NR. Biomechanics of stabilization after cervicothoracic compression-flexion injury. Spine 2005;1(30): 1505-1512.
 
Ames CP, Crawford NR, Chamberlain RH, Deshmukh V, Sadikovic B, Sonntag VK. Biomechanical analysis of a resorbable anterior cervical graft containment plate. Spine 2005;30(9):1031-8.
 
Acosta FL Jr, Thompson TL, Campbell S, Weinstein PR, Ames CP. Use of intraoperative isocentric C-arm 3D fluoroscopy for sextant percutaneous pedicle screw placement: case report and review of the literature. Spine J 2005;5(3):339-43.
 
Acosta FL Jr, Aryan HE, Taylor WR, Ames CP. Kyphoplasty-augmented short-segment pedicle screw fixation of traumatic lumbar burst fractures: initial clinical experience and literature review. Neurosurg Focus [serial on the Internet] 2005 [cited July 31 2005];18(3):[6 p]. Available from http://www.aans.org/education/journal/neurosurgical/mar05/18-3-9.pdf.
 
Ames CP, Crawford NR, Chamberlain RH, Deshmukh V, Sadikovic B, Sonntag VK. Biomechanical evaluation of a bioresorbable odontoid screw. J Neurosurg Spine 2005;2(2):182-7.
 
Bozkus H, Ames CP, Chamberlain RH, Nottmeier EW, Sonntag VK, Papadopoulos SM, Crawford NR. Biomechanical analysis of rigid stabilization techniques for three-column injury in the lower cervical spine. Spine 2005;30(8):915-22.
 
Ames CP, Acosta F, Nottmeier E. Novel treatment of basilar invagination resulting from an untreated C-1 fracture associated with transverse ligament avulsion. Case report and description of surgical technique. J Neurosurg Spine 2005;2(1):83-7.
 
Acosta FL Jr, Chin CT, Quinones-Hinojosa A, Ames CP, Weinstein PR, Chou D. Diagnosis and management of adult pyogenic osteomyelitis of the cervical spine. Neurosurg Focus [serial on the Internet] 2004 [cited July 31 2005];17(6):[9 p]. Available from http://www.aans.org/education/journal/neurosurgical/dec04/17-6-2.pdf.
 
Quinones-Hinojosa A, Lyon R, Ames CP, Parsa AT. Neuromonitoring during surgery for metastatic tumors to the spine: intraoperative interpretation and management strategies. Neurosurg Clin N Am 2004;15(4):537-47.
 
Parsa AT, Lee J, Parney IF, Weinstein P, McCormick PC, Ames C. Spinal cord and intradural-extraparenchymal spinal tumors: current best care practices and strategies. J Neurooncol 2004;69(1-3):291-318.
 
Cornwall GB, Ames CP, Crawford NR, Chamberlain RH, Rubino AM, Seim HB 3rd, Turner AS. In vivo evaluation of bioresorbable polylactide implants for cervical graft containment in an ovine spinal fusion model. Neurosurg Focus [serial on the Internet] 2004 [cited July 31 2005];16(3): [6 p]. Available from http://www.aans.org/education/journal/neurosurgical/mar04/16-3-5.pdf.