surgeons who perform SDR on adults
CAUTION #1: Before you consult this list, please note that SDR’s results depend so heavily on the surgeon who performs it. I cannot emphasize this enough! Before selecting a surgeon, you absolutely must do your research.
CAUTION #2: This list is the product of collaboration within the SDR Adults Facebook group, and it is not completely up-to-date. It is intended for baseline reference purposes only, and I cannot guarantee its accuracy; please follow up directly with surgeons you are considering and thoroughly check their credentials and experience. SDR may be significantly more risky when you choose a surgeon with less experience, and the surgeons on this list may differ widely in their techniques and outcomes.
If you have more updated information on any of these surgeons or if you know of another SDR surgeon who operates on adults, please contact me so I can update our list.
UNITED STATES
Dr. TS Park, St. Louis Children’s/Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Missouri
- As of 2019, performed SDR on more than 150 adults ages 18 through 50
- As of 2022, performed more than 5,000 SDRs total
- Most experienced SDR surgeon worldwide (both for adults and overall)
- Considers all types of CP (diplegia, hemiplegia, triplegia, quadriplegia), but to my knowledge, does not do palliative SDR
- Most of his adult SDR patients were able to walk independently pre-SDR at least a little bit, but this is not necessarily required, especially for individuals in their late teens or 20s
Dr. Jeffrey Leonard, Nationwide Hospital, Ohio
- Performs single-level SDR
- Considers patients up to the age of 40
- Considers all types of CP (diplegia, hemiplegia, triplegia, quadriplegia)
Dr. Richard Anderson, New Jersey
- In 2016, performed SDR on adults only in mild cases (GMFCS I or II); this may have changed
Dr. Manish Shah, Houston, Texas
- Performs single-level SDR
- Trained under Dr. Park for 8 years
Dr. Patrick Graupman, St. Paul, Minnesota
- Performs single-level SDR
Dr. Mark Sedrak and Dr. John Duncan III, California
- Perform single-level SDR
- Reportedly, Dr. Sedrak mainly operates on people with severe spastic quadriplegia. (Keep in mind that this group of patients has the highest rate of returning spasticity.)
Dr. Charles Stevenson, Cincinnati Children's, Ohio
- Performs single-level SDR
- Considers patients up to the age of 45
- Most of his adult SDR patients were able to walk independently pre-SDR at least a little bit, but this is not necessarily required
EUROPE
Dr. Haberl, Bonn, Germany
- Performs single-level SDR
- Very well-known as an SDR surgeon in Europe; has performed many childhood SDRs
Dr. Lászlo Bognár, Hungary
- Performs single-level SDR
Dr. John Goodden, Leeds, UK
- In 2016, performed SDR on adults only in mild cases (GMFCS I or II); this may have changed
Mr. Vlobergs, Nottingham Queens Med, UK
Dr. Jerzy Luszawski, Poland
- Performs single-level SDR
- Selection criteria varies depending on the patient and what they want to achieve
Dr. Lezsek Sagan, Poland (along with Dr. Pawel Malasiak, Dr. Marek Lickendorf, and Dr. Lukasz Mudany)
- Dr. Sagan typically performs multi-level SDR
- After doing 100+ SDR surgeries (mostly on children), he reportedly decided that the other surgeons assisting him could do SDR independently as well. Now, these four surgeons work in pairs to do SDR and reportedly do single-level SDR or multi-level depending on the individual case.