Neuroradiology

UCSF Neuroradiology Faculty

Neuroradiology - UCSF Medical Neuroradiology focuses on imaging and therapies to diagnose and to treat disorders of the adult and pediatric brain, spine, neck, and central and peripheral nervous system. The UCSF neuroradiology group is comprised of internationally recognized experts in every one of these disciplines, and in the latest state-of-the-art imaging with CT, MRI, MEG and molecular modalities such as PET. The group has expertise in the full array of neurologic disease, including brain tumors, stroke and other vascular disorders, spine disease, neurodegenerative diseases, and brain malformations. With 12 full-time neuroradiologists across our campuses, we are one of the largest sections of neuroradiology in the United States.

Adult and Pediatric Neuroimaging

Our subspecialists are among the nation’s most prominent experts in:

Brain tumor imaging and brain MRI
Ear, nose and throat (ENT) and neck imaging
Epilepsy Imaging
Stroke and vascular imaging
Functional MRI and magnetic source imaging
Magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy
Imaging of neurodegenerative disorders
Central nervous system trauma (head/spine injuries)
CSF leaks
Pediatric disorders of brain and spine development
Spinal pain diagnosis and non-operative therapies such as epidural injections
Interventional angiography
Fetal MRI and pediatric MRI

Expertise Due to Experience

Patients are referred to UCSF neuroradiology from all over the world. Each year we perform and interpret over 14,000 CTs, 22,000 MRIs, 250 myelograms, more than 1,000 diagnostic angiograms, over 650 interventional procedures, and more than 500 spinal procedures including biopsies, nerve root block, epidural injections of steroids and specialized procedures including vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. For example, we offer special expertise and apply advanced cutting edge MRI techniques for the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with brain, skull base and ENT tumors, traumatic brain injuries, the range of pediatric brain and spine disorders as well as for patients with spine related pain. Because we perform an unusually high number of procedures each year, referred from a variety of specialists, we have gained enormous clinical and scientific expertise. That expertise leads to more precise diagnoses and better clinical judgment and skill. It also directly facilitates our ability to help patients and their doctors by sharing our skills in “seeing,” detecting, and treating abnormalities. This allows us to provide informative consultations to referring physicians and to suggest proper interventions.

Collaborative Approach

At UCSF neuroradiology we foster close collaboration with the physicians who refer to us: experts in Adult and Pediatric Neurology, Neurological Surgery, Pediatrics, Oncology, Otolaryngology, Primary Care/Internal Medicine, Orthopedic Surgery, and Radiation Oncology. We regularly work with physicians in the greater community as well as with physicians at UCSF. We also discuss difficult patient issues at a variety of multidisciplinary conferences with treating physicians, which allows us to recommend the best care plan to our patients.

UCSF neuroradiology also directs the UCSF Precision Spine and Peripheral Nerve Center, where UCSF neuroradiology experts in spinal disease are using advanced imaging tools every day to better diagnose and treat spinal and peripheral nerve disorders and address patient pain in the legs, back, neck and arms. These minimally-invasive treatments such as facet injections or CT nerve block can offer an adjunct and/or alternative to surgical treatments that can afford significant pain relief, return of function, and quality of life. Doctors in and outside of the bay area frequently refer patients with low back or buttock pain or those suffering with pain in the neck so that we can accurately identify the root causes of the pain using imaging and simultaneously treat the pain using image-guided technologies.

The neuroradiologists at UCSF are internationally recognized experts in interpreting studies of the fetal brain and spine. With the expertise of Dr. Orit Glenn and Dr. Jim Barkovich, ours is one of few radiology imaging departments across with experience performing and interpreting complex fetal MRI. We have performed more than 1,100 fetal MRIs since 1996. We also employ specialized MRI scanner software for fetal MRI that results in improved image quality, faster scans and more precise diagnoses. Expert MR technologists, experienced in imaging pregnant women, strive for excellence and aim to provide a comfortable, safe experience for the patient during the examination.

A. James Barkovich, MD, UCSF Chief of Pediatric Neuroradiology, was the first pediatric neuroradiologist to recognize the value of MRI in assessing pediatric brain disease. This is just one of the reasons why UCSF is known around the world for its expertise in pediatric neuroradiology. Dr. Barkovich and his research team developed the first very high resolution imaging coils to detect small abnormalities causing seizures in the brains of babies, pioneered pediatric MRI, the imaging of newborns who had suffered brain injury around the time of birth, and developed MRI-compatible incubators to allow sick newborns to undergo MRI scans while being kept warm and monitored by MRI compatible heaters and monitoring devices. Dr. Barkovich and his group were also among the first radiologists in the United States to do MRI of the brains and spines of the unborn child while still within the uterus, a technology which they have been performing and regularly for more than 15 years and continue to advance. The pediatric neuroradiology team is also very experienced in the use of pediatric CT.