Vikas Patel, MD
Orthopedic Surgery of the Spine
Locations
Practice Locations
UCHealth Spine Center - Anschutz Medical Campus
720-848-1980
UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital
720-516-1000
UCHealth Orthopedics
UCHealth Cherry Creek Medical Center
720-516-9417
CU Medicine Orthopedics
Highlands Ranch Specialty Care Center
720-516-4087
Provider Expertise
Care Philosophy
I currently serve as the Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. As an academic spine surgeon, it is my responsibility to stay involved in the latest spine care research findings, techniques, and technologies. As a clinician, I must also use the latest diagnostic technologies to first find the source of discomfort and disability in my patients. I then look to my training and experience to educate my patients on treatment options and together judge which might be the best treatment for each individual patient without increasing the risk of complications. We can thus choose the best technology together based on their condition and expectation from surgical treatment. Surgery, however, is a last resort to be chosen only if conservative measures fail to provide sufficient relief. I earned my Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and worked as an engineer before earning both a Master's of Arts and a Doctor of Medicine degree at Washington University in St. Louis. My orthopedic spine surgery training took place at the University of California (San Francisco), and my specialized fellowship training was at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica.
Specialties
- Orthopedic Surgery of the Spine ( 2006 )
Conditions & Treatments
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Spine
Cervical disc herniation, Cervical spinal stenosis, Degenerative Disc Disease, Degenerative Scoliosis, Lumbar disc herniation, Lumbar spinal stenosis, Myelopathy, Radiculopathy, Sacroiliac Joint, Sciatica, Scoliosis, Slipped Disc, Spondylolisthesis, Spondylolysis
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Bones, Joints and Muscles
Back Pain, Fractures, Neck Disorders and Injuries, Scoliosis, Spine Injuries
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Spinal Deformity
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Infections
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Symptoms and Manifestations
Pain
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Failed Prior Surgery
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Brain and Nervous System
Spine Diseases and Conditions
Interests & Activities
Personal Interests
When I am not working I enjoy traveling with my wife and two children.
Education & Training
Medical Schools
MA, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine (1997)
MD, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine (1997)
Undergraduate Schools
BS, University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign (IL) (1991)
Internships
University of California (San Francisco) Program (1998)
Residency Program
University of California (San Francisco) Program (2003)
Fellowships
St. John's Hospital Spine Fellowship (Cedars Sinai Program) (2003)
Professional Memberships
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, Member
AO North America, Member
Colorado Medical Society (CMS), Member
International Association for the Study of Pain, Member
Scoliosis Research Society (SRS), Member
Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Member
Spine Arthroplasty Association, Member
Western Orthopaedic Association (WOA), Member
Research & Grants
Grants
Three Dimensional Morphologic and Kinematic MRI Analysis of the Knee (2002)
In vitro biomechanical evaluation of adjacent level facet joint forces relative to pedicle screw head size (2005)
A Clinical evaluation of cervical STIM and Spinal-STIM (2006)
Post market Surveillance of Clinical and Functional Outcomes with Post-Operative Adjunctive use of Cervical-Stim aor Spinal Stim (2006)
Inflammatory effects of BMP with protective and bone limiting effects of Fibrin Glue (2006)
BMP Diffusion from a Novel Bone Graft Substitute (2007)
Facet Force Disc Degen/Metal Memory (2007)
Facet force relative to disc degeneration and disc replacement (2007)
The effect of auto claving on metal memory (2007)
EBI'S Lumbar Anterior Plate System (2007)
Activ-L Artificial Disc. CT (2007)
Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2008)
EPhysical Capacity Outcomes Study PD-L and ALIF (2009)
Rabbit Study Protocol CR-055: P-15 ABM Formulations in a Rabbit Femur Drill Hole Healing Study (2009)
Nubac Disc Arthroplasty (2009)
ISSIS Clinical Trial (2009)
Evaluation of Blood Platelet Concentrate Methodology with ABM/P-15 (2010)
Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2010)
Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2010)
Synthes ED Support (2011)
Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2011)
Retrospective Multicenter Clinical Evaluation of Fusion and Complications for Single Lvl AxiaLIF and ALIF Subjects (2011)
Three dimensional accuracy of Stealth Surgical Navigation with O-Arm Imaging (2011)
Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2011)
Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2011)
Biomechanical Cervical Disc Replacement Facet Force (2011)
The Relationship between Sagittal Plane Correction and Quality of Life in Adult Deformity Patients Treated with Posterior Instrumentation-CT (2012)
Biomechanical Evaluation of Anterior Cage-Plate Fixation (ALIF cage and ATB Plate or Synfix ) Versus Iliac Screws with TLIF (2012)
Synthes AO Spine (2012)
Investigation of Sacroiliac Fusion Treatment – INSITE - CT (2012)
Validation of a New Sacroiliac-Joint Specific Disability Questionnaire (2012)
Effects of vitamin D deficiency on lumbar spine fusion and the role of rhBMP-2 (2012)
Lanx Aspen Spinous Process Clamp CT (2012)
Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2012)
Skull to sacrum course (2013)
Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2013)
DuraSeal TM Exact Spine Sealant System Post Approval Study (2014)
Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2014)
Porous, Patient Specific Interbody Fusion Cages with Enhanced Loading Characteristics (2014)
Cervical Stim Retrospective (CDA – Orthofix Cervical Stim Retrospective Protocol) (2014)
Revitalization of Bone Allograft with Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Enhance Spinal Fusion (2014)
Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2015)
Prospective, Concurrently Controlled, Multi-Center Study to Evaluate the Safety and Effectiveness of the Spinal Kinetics M6-C Artificial Cervical Disc Compared to ACDF for the Treatment of Symptomatic Cervical Radiculopathy (2015)
A Phase 2b Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Staphylococcus (2015)
Retrospective Study Evaluating the Efficacy of the Orthofix Spinal-Stim Bone Growth Stimulator in Patients Who Have Undergone Lumbar Fusion Surgery with Adjunctive Use of the Spinal-Stim Device (2015)
Odontoid: Safety and Efficacy of Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (Cervical Stim) as an Adjunct to Enhanced Union (2015)
A Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Study Comparing the Analgesic Efficacy of Cannabis versus Oxycodone (2016)
Research Interests for Patients
Currently, my research focus entails spinal non-fusion technologies, cervical and lumbar disc replacement, dynamic stabilization, alternative bone graft materials for fusion, minimally invasive surgical techniques and computer-assisted surgery. My basic science research includes the study of cell therapies, spinal biologics, spinal biomechanics, and the evaluation of pain. Additional research includes assessing the efficacy of marijuana based pain treatment.
information for referring providers
Referral Contact Phone
(720) 848-1980
Referral Contact Fax
720-848-2019
Clinical Interests for Referring Providers
Minimally invasive spine surgery of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine with a conservative-first approach and motion preservation whenever possible. I also treat complex spine problems including failed back and neck surgery and conditions which patients may have been told can't be treated.
Research Interest for Referring Providers
Spinal non-fusion technologies, cervical and lumbar disc replacement, dynamic stabilization, alternative bone graft materials for fusion, minimally invasive surgical techniques, computer-assisted surgery, cell therapies, spinal biologics, spinal biomechanics, and the evaluation of pain. Additional research includes assessing the efficacy of marijuana based pain treatment.
