Christopher P. Ames, MD

Associate Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery, UCSF; Director, UCSF Spine Tumor and Spinal Deformity Surgery

Phone: (415) 353-7500 (neurosurgery); (866) 817-7463 (spine center)
Box 0112, UCSF
San Francisco, CA 94143-0112

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Additional Websites

• Physician Referral Directory

Education

Dartmouth College, BA, 1989
University of California, Los Angeles, MD, 1994
University of California, San Diego, 1994-1995, Surgical Internship
University of California, San Diego, 1995-2000, Resident, Neurological Surgery
Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, 2001-2002, Spine Fellow

Professional Experience

• 2002-present
  Department of Neurological Surgery, UCSF

Honors & 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
• 2010
  50 of the Best Spine Specialists in America
• 2010
  America's Top Surgeons, Castle Connolly

Selected Publications

1. Akbar M, Terran J, Ames CP, Lafage V, Schwab F. Use of surgimap spine in sagittal plane analysis, osteotomy planning, and correction calculation. Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2013 Apr; 24(2):163-72.
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2. Bess S, Schwab F, Lafage V, Shaffrey CI, Ames CP. Classifications for adult spinal deformity and use of the scoliosis research society-schwab adult spinal deformity classification. Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2013 Apr; 24(2):185-93.
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3. Scheer JK, Ames CP, Deviren V. Assessment and treatment of cervical deformity. Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2013 Apr; 24(2):249-74.
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4. Blondel B, Schwab F, Bess S, Ames C, Mummaneni PV, Hart R, Smith JS, Shaffrey CI, Burton D, Boachie-Adjei O, Lafage V. Posterior global malalignment after osteotomy for sagittal plane deformity: it happens and here is why. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2013 Apr 1; 38(7):E394-401.
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5. Smith JS, Shaffrey CI, Fu KM, Scheer JK, Bess S, Lafage V, Schwab F, Ames CP. Clinical and radiographic evaluation of the adult spinal deformity patient. Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2013 Apr; 24(2):143-56.
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6. Fu KM, Smith JS, Shaffrey CI, Ames CP, Bess S. Coronal realignment and reduction techniques and complication avoidance. Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2013 Apr; 24(2):195-202.
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7. McCarthy I, Hostin R, O'Brien M, Saigal R, Ames CP. Health economic analysis of adult deformity surgery. Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2013 Apr; 24(2):293-304.
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8. Hart RA, McCarthy I, Ames CP, Shaffrey CI, Hamilton DK, Hostin R. Proximal junctional kyphosis and proximal junctional failure. Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2013 Apr; 24(2):213-8.
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9. Ames CP, Jian B, Shaffrey CI. Spinal deformity surgery. Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2013 Apr; 24(2):xiii-xiv.
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10. Tang JA, Leasure JM, Smith JS, Buckley JM, Kondrashov D, Ames CP. Effect of Severity of Rod Contour on Posterior Rod Failure in the Setting of Lumbar Pedicle Subtraction Osteotomy (PSO): A Biomechanical Study. Neurosurgery. 2013 Feb; 72(2):276-83.
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11. Amin BY, Tu TH, Schairer WW, Na L, Takemoto S, Berven S, Deviren V, Ames C, Chou D, Mummaneni PV. Pitfalls of calculating hospital readmission rates based on nonvalidated administrative data sets. J Neurosurg Spine. 2013 Feb; 18(2):134-8.
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12. Smith JS, Saulle D, Chen CJ, Lenke LG, Polly DW, Kasliwal MK, Broadstone PA, Glassman SD, Vaccaro AR, Ames CP, Shaffrey CI. Rates and causes of mortality associated with spine surgery based on 108,419 procedures: a review of the Scoliosis Research Society Morbidity and Mortality Database. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2012 Nov 1; 37(23):1975-82.
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13. Smith JS, Shaffrey CI, Ames CP, Demakakos J, Fu KM, Keshavarzi S, Li CM, Deviren V, Schwab FJ, Lafage V, Bess S. Assessment of symptomatic rod fracture after posterior instrumented fusion for adult spinal deformity. Neurosurgery. 2012 Oct; 71(4):862-7.
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14. Pekmezci M, McDonald E, Kennedy A, Dedini R, McClellan T, Ames C, Deviren V. Can a novel rectangular footplate provide higher resistance to subsidence than circular footplates? An ex vivo biomechanical study. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2012 Sep 1; 37(19):E1177-81.
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15. Tang JA, Scheer JK, Smith JS, Deviren V, Bess S, Hart RA, Lafage V, Shaffrey CI, Schwab F, Ames CP. The impact of standing regional cervical sagittal alignment on outcomes in posterior cervical fusion surgery. Neurosurgery. 2012 Sep; 71(3):662-9; discussion 669.
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16. Pekmezci M, Tang JA, Cheng L, Modak A, McClellan RT, Buckley JM, Ames CP. Comparison of expandable and fixed interbody cages in a human cadaver corpectomy model, part I: endplate force characteristics. J Neurosurg Spine. 2012 Oct; 17(4):321-6.
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17. Smith JS, Shaffrey CI, Lafage V, Blondel B, Schwab F, Hostin R, Hart R, O'Shaughnessy B, Bess S, Hu SS, Deviren V, Ames CP. Spontaneous improvement of cervical alignment after correction of global sagittal balance following pedicle subtraction osteotomy. J Neurosurg Spine. 2012 Oct; 17(4):300-7.
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18. Kasliwal MK, Smith JS, Shaffrey CI, Saulle D, Lenke LG, Polly DW, Ames CP, Perra JH. Short-term complications associated with surgery for high-grade spondylolisthesis in adults and pediatric patients: a report from the scoliosis research society morbidity and mortality database. Neurosurgery. 2012 Jul; 71(1):109-16.
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19. Abdul-Jabbar A, Takemoto S, Weber MH, Hu SS, Mummaneni PV, Deviren V, Ames CP, Chou D, Weinstein PR, Burch S, Berven SH. Surgical site infection in spinal surgery: description of surgical and patient-based risk factors for postoperative infection using administrative claims data. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2012 Jul 1; 37(15):1340-5.
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20. Tarapore PE, Mukherjee P, Mummaneni PV, Ames CP. The appearance of dural sealants under MR imaging. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2012 Sep; 33(8):1530-3.
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