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Viktor Bartanusz | UT Health San Antonio

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210-567-5625

bartanusz@uthscsa.edu

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Viktor Bartanusz, M.D.

Associate Professor

I have been fascinated by medicine since my childhood. My grandfather was a general surgeon before the Second World War in Europe. I used to sit hours and listen to his old stories about the pre-war medicine, most of them I knew already by heart, nevertheless I always found them as absorbing as hearing them for the first time. I suppose that my grandfather brought me to surgery. My father practiced neurology. He was less talkative, but had a wonderful library full of books about the functioning of the brain and its innumerable diseases. I am convinced that my father showed me the beauty of the nervous system. It was clear for me already at the beginning of my medical studies that I wanted to do both: surgery and neurology. So, I chose neurosurgery. After finishing my medical studies I decided to deepen my knowledge in basic neuroscience, the reason why I started my Ph.D. post-graduate program at the Institute of Experimental Endocrinology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. My principal project was to study the central regulations of the stress response at the level of the hypothalamus, in relation to the blood-brain barrier, circumventricular organs, and glutamatergic neurotransmission. This project resulted in important publications in the field of neuroendocrinology, which brought me to my next stage in my career, to the Department of Morphology and Neuroanatomy at the Medical Faculty in Geneva. Here, I learned high-end techniques in molecular biology and cell cultures. My hard work and the fruitful intellectual atmosphere of the laboratory produced further very interesting results, which I could publish in prestigious journals. In Geneva, I started also teaching neuroanatomy to medical students. My affection for teaching the structure of the nervous system persists since this time until today. I was very fortunate to complete my neurosurgery training at the University Hospital in Lausanne. My Program Director, Professor Jean-Guy Villemure, taught me the strict principles of neurosurgery in the spirit of his own teachers, Rasmussen and Penfield. My further surgical training led me to the heart of modern spine surgery, to the Schulthess Klinik in Zurich. Here, I could benefit from the teaching of excellent neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons, some of them being the pupils of the very founders of spine surgeons Professor Fritz Magerl and Professor Jürgen Harms. My profound interest in the academic field brought me to the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. I was the director of the Spine Program with special interest in complex spine surgery, spinal cord injury, and the neuroendocrinology of patients in the acute period after injury. My professional activity evolved in three fields: clinical spine neurosurgery, research, and teaching. My clinical practice comprised the management of most complex spine surgical cases including spine tumors, complex spine fractures, as well as painful degenerative spine disorders. My interest spine surgery brought me to Switzerland, where I was offered the possibility to build a combined neurosurgery-orthopedics interdisciplinary Spine Unit at the Department of Clinical Neurosciences of the University Hospital in Lausanne. Following the successful accomplishment of this 2-year project I was delighted to return to my home Department in San Antonio, where I continue my activity as spine specialist. My research interest evolves in two directions: clinical research and experimental work on animal and in vitro models. My laboratory scientific interest is studying the molecular and cellular mechanisms of secondary spinal cord injury. The understanding of complex pathophysiological mechanisms of secondary spinal cord damage occurring in the immediate and early period after trauma will enable the development of new therapeutic interventions in the future. I am also interested in the biomechanics of the vertebral column. During my whole career, teaching and mentoring of medical students has been an integral part of my professional activity which I would like to pursue.

  • Professional Background

    Education

    • 2006 - Postdoctoral Fellowship - Spine - Schulthess Klinik, Spine Center
    • 2003 - Residency - Neurosurgery - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois
    • 1999 - Internship - Surgery/Neurosurgery - University Hospital of the Charles University
    • 1996 - Fellowship - Pharmacology - Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Slovak Academy of Sciences
    • 1995 - Fellowship - University of Geneva Medical School
    • 1989 - MD - Medicine - Comenius University Medical School

    Training

    • 2006 - Spine - Schulthess Klinik, Spine Center, Zurich, Switzerland
    • 2003 - Neurosurgery - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland
    • 1999 - Surgery/Neurosurgery - University Hospital of the Charles University, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

    Appointments

    • 1/2018 - Associate Professor - UT Health San Antonio, Neurosurgery, San Antonio

  • Instruction & Training

    • 11/2013 - Present, Thalamus, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

  • Research & Grants

    Biomechanics of the lumbar spine

    Blood brain barrier 

    Circumventricular organs Languages: Hungarian, Czeck, Slovak, French German 

    Neuroanatomy

    Neuroendocrinology of stress 

    Salivary cortisol  

    Spinal cord injury 

    Spine surgery outcome measure 

    Grants

    Funding Agency: Department of Defense

    Title: The measurement of salivary cortisol in critically ill trauma patients

    Status: Complete

    Period: 03/2009 - 12/2014

    Role: Principal Investigator

     

     

    Funding Agency:

    Title: The Correlation between Salivary Biomarkers and Spine Related Pain in Patients, Compared to a Normal Healthy Adult Population (Control)

    Status:

    Period: 03/2009 - 03/2010

    Role: Co-Investigator

     

     

    Funding Agency: Grant of the Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

    Title: Pharmacological manipulation of pituitary tumors in vitro: effect of corticotrophin-releasing factor on pituitary hormone secretion

    Status: Complete

    Period: 01/1998 - 08/1999

    Role: Co-Principal Investigator

     

     

    Funding Agency: Grant of the Charles University-Prague, Czech Republic

    Title: Differentiation markers in human malignant glioma explants in vitro

    Status: Complete

    Period: 05/1997 - 05/1999

    Role: Principal Investigator

     

     

    Funding Agency: Grant Agency of the Czech Republic

    Title: Neuronal precursor cell cultivation and modification of their further differentiation in vitro

    Status: Complete

    Period: 01/1997 - 08/1999

    Role: Co-Investigator

     

  • Service

    Department

    01/2019-01/2019

    Department

    Neuroanatomy/Neurophsiology - Presenter

    Lead discussion on the topic of Spine for the Neuroanatomy/Neurophsiology conference for the Neurosurgery Residents on 01/04/2019.

     

    01/2019-01/2019

    Department

    Neuroanatomy/Neurophsiology - Presenter

    Lead discussion on the topic of Spine for the Neuroanatomy/Neurophsiology conference for the Neurosurgery Residents on 01/04/2019.

     

    School

    04/2018-04/2018

    University

    Passport Poster Day Judge - Judge

    Dr. Bartanusz volunteered to be a judge at the 2018 Passport Poster Day on April 10, 2018 from 8:00 - 9:30am.

    Institutional

    08/2018-Present

    Search Committee for Anesthesiology Chairman, UT Health San Antonio, Medicine, Anesthesiology - Member

    One of the Search Committee Members for the recruitment effort for the next Chair of Anesthesiology.

  • Publications

      Abstract

      Bartanusz V, Hawksworth S, Andrade N, Son C, Jimenez DF. Julius Goodman Resident Award. A Conservative Policy of Intraoperative Neuromonitoring for Spinal Surgery: Costs and Outcomes; 2014 Jan. (Neurosurgery; vol. 61, no. Suppl). Bartanusz V, McGinity M, Dengler B, Birnbaum L, Henry J. Pseudomyogenic hemangioendothelioma (epithelioid sarcoma-like hemangioendothelioma, fibroma-like variant of epithelioid sarcoma) of the thoracic spine PubMed; 2013 May. (European Spine Journal; vol. 22). Bartanusz V, Andrade ns, Flynn JP. Twenty-year perspective of randomized controlled trials for surgery of chronic nonspecific low back pain: citation bias and tangential knowledge PubMed: Elsevier Inc; 2001 Feb. (Spine J; vol. S1529, no. 13).

      Book Chapter

      Bartanusz V. Neurosurgical procedures for chronic neuropathic pain. In: Ramamurthy S, et al. Decision Making in Pain Management. 2017.

      Electronic/Web Publication

      Bartanusz V, Maknojia A, Sprague AM, Riquelme M, Gu S, Reed P, Jiang J, Sayre NL. Monoclonal antibody targeting connexin-43 hemichannel improves functional recovery and reduces secondary injury after traumatic spinal cord injury 2016 Jan.

      Journal Article

      Bartanusz V, Laudato AP. The role of surgery for low back pain associated with Modic changes on magnetic resonance imaging Rev Med Suisse 2017 Jan;. Bartanusz V, Hottinger A. Metastatic spinal cord compression 2016 Jan;6(02):18-19. Bartanusz V, Son C, Tavakoli S. No publication bias in industry funded clinical trials of degenerative disease of the spine Journal of Clinical Neuroscience 2016 Jan;25:58-61. Bartanusz V. Letter to the editor concerning "Surgery and survival outcomes of 30 patients with neurological deficit due to clear cell renal cell carcinoma spinal metastases" European Spine Journal 2016 Jan;25(6):1960-1961. Bartanusz V, Starnoni D, Hottinger A, Yamgoue Y. Multilevel severe radiculopathy from an extraneural glioblastoma cervical metastasis Surgical Neurology International 2016 Jan;12(7):S1028-S1029. Hawksworth SA, Andrade NS, Son CT, Bartanusz V, Jimenez DF. Conservative Policy for Intraoperative Neuromonitoring in Spinal Surgery Neurosurgery 2015 Aug;62:190-193. Bartanusz V, Ziu M, Jimenez DF, Crownover RL, Langevin AM. Zoledronic acid therapy for recurrent giant cell tumor of the C2 vertebra in an adolescent Spine J 2015 Mar;15(8):1886-1887. Bartanusz V, Harris JA, Moldavsky M, Yiwei C. Bucklen B: Short Segment Spinal Instrumentation with Index Vertebra Pedicel Screw Placement for Pathologies Involving the Anterior and Middle Vertebral Column is Equally Effective as Long Segment Stabilization with Cage Reconstruction Spine 2015 Feb;40(22):1729-1736. Bartanusz V, Andrade N, Ashton CM, Wray NP, Brown C. Systematic review of observational studies reveals no association between low back pain and spondylolysis/isthmic spondylolisthesis: An established indication for lumbar fusion revisited European Spine Journal 2015 Jan;24(6):1289-1295. Bartanusz V, Tantiwongkosi B, Altmeyer WB, Branch B. Posterior fossa giant tumefactive perivascular spaces: 8-year follow up in an adolescent Surgical Neurology International 2015 Jan;6(1). Bartanusz V, Andrade N, Berg S, Tullberg T. Letter to the editor regarding Mannion, Brox, Fairbank. Comparison of spinal fusion and non-operative treatment in patients with chronic low back pain: long-term follow-up of three randomized controlled trials The Spine Journal 2015 Jan;15(2):379-380. Bartanusz V, Corneille MG, Sordo S, Gildea M, Michalek JE, Nair PV, Stewart RM, Jozova D. Diurnal salivary cortisol measurement in acutely ill trauma patients in the surgical - neurosurgical intensive care unit Journal of Clinical Neuroscience 2014 Apr;21:2150-2154. Bartanusz V, Savage JG, Belayev. Spinal cord herniation or intradermal arachnoid cyst? Letters to the Editor The Spine Journal 2014 Jan;14. Bartanusz V, Ziu M, Fletcher L, Savage JG, Jimenez DF, Digicaylioglu M. Spatial and temporal expression levels of specific microRNAs in a spinal cord injury mouse model and their relationship to the duration of compression The Spine Journal 2014 Jan;14(2):353-360. Bartanusz V, Dengler BA. Bilateral abduces nerve palsies after traumatic CI-C2 distraction injury: report of two cases European Spine Journal 2014 Jan;(2):248-252. Bartanusz V, Dengler BA, Jimenez DF. Reabsorption of calcified herniated nucleus pulposus in a 14-year-old boy Journal of Pediatrics 2014 Jan;164(2). Bartanusz V, Ziu M, Dengler B, Cordell D. Diagnosis and management of primary pyogenic spinal infections in intravenous recreational drug users Neurosurg Focus 2014 Jan;37(2). Bartanusz V, Henry JM, Ziu M, Jimenez DF,. Calcifying pseudoneoplasm of the antlanto-axial joint in a child Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine 2013 Apr;18(4):367-371.

  • Clinical

    Board Certifications

    • 2005 - Neurosurgery Board Certification - Swiss Medical Association and Swiss Institute of Postgraduate Education
    • 1999 - First Degree Exam in General Surgery - Czech Medical Society