Dr. Joshua Bederson, MD

Bio

Recognized internationally as a superb neurosurgeon, an outstanding teacher and clinical investigator, Dr. Bederson continues more than a century of neurosurgical excellence at Mount Sinai. 


Drawing on best practices from colleagues across the Medical Center, he is building on this legacy with an innovative multidisciplinary approach to caring for patients with complex intracranial and spinal pathology.


Dr. Bederson has performed more than 2,500 neurosurgical operations at the Medical Center ranging from the treatment of meningiomas, schwannomas and cranio-pharyngiomas, to pituitary tumors, giant intracranial aneurysms, and acoustic neuromas.  His vascular practice includes the treatment of arteriovenous malformations, cavernous malformations, and carotid artery disease. 


An advocate of collaboration with other accomplished physicians and scientists at Mount Sinai, Dr. Bederson developed one of Mount Sinai’s first interdisciplinary clinical programs with the Department of Neurology Stroke Program, and fosters deep collaborative efforts with the Departments of Radiology, Orthopedics, Medicine, Radiation Oncology, Pediatrics, Otolaryngology, Emergency medicine, Rehabilitation Medicine, the Cancer Institute, and the Translational Neuroscience Center. He established the first basic science lab in the Department of Neurosurgery, developing models of stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage, and was the first Mount Sinai neurosurgeon to obtain an NIH R01 award as principal investigator.  Dr. Bederson previously directed the highly sought-after Neurosurgery Residency Program, and his residents have graduated to neurosurgery positions at prominent medical centers. 


 


Dr. Bederson has held leadership positions with various medical societies, including Chair of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurosurgeons Cerebrovascular Section, and Chair of the American Heart Association's writing group on subarachnoid hemorrhage.  He is the author of dozens of peer-reviewed papers, books, book chapters, and monographs focusing on neurosurgery and has received such honors as the Henry B. Newman Award from the San Francisco Neurological Society (1986) and the Cornell University Class of 1979 Top 25 Distinguished Classmates Award (2004).  


 


Dr. Bederson earned his medical degree and completed a residency in neurosurgery at the University of California in San Francisco.  While a resident, he did advanced-study programs in neuropathology at the University of Torino in Italy—as well as microvascular and skull-base neurosurgery programs at the University Hospitals of Zurich, Switzerland, and the University Medical Center in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and a cerebrovascular-surgery fellowship at the Barrow Neurological Institute.  An accomplished sculptor, he studied art at New York University and has exhibited his work, many of which depict human anatomy. Dr. Bederson joined the Mount Sinai faculty in 1992 as Director of The Clinical Program for Cerebrovascular Disorders and served as Vice-Chairman of Neurosurgery from 2001 until 2008, when he became Chairman.


 



Specialties:

  • neurosurgery

Affiliation:

  • The Mount Sinai Medical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Location:

Activity

  • Joshua Bederson, MD
    How can a balloon occlusion test help determine the safest surgery for me?
    Information from the balloon occlusion test helps your surgeon plan the safest surgery for you. Balloon occlusion testing can determine whether other arteries supplying blood to the brain can take over if a particular artery is closed. During an angiogram, a balloon is inflated inside the...  Full Post
  • Joshua Bederson, MD
    What is a balloon occlusion test?
    Some intracranial aneurysms or head and neck tumors are located close to major blood vessels. In those cases, techniques can provide the information needed to plan the safest possible surgery to remove the tumor. These techniques include minimally invasive balloon occlusion testing.

    Balloon...  Full Post
  • Joshua Bederson, MD
    Why might I undergo an angiogram if I have a head or neck tumor?
    If you have a head or neck tumor, your doctor may perform an angiogram to identify the blood vessels that feed your tumor. He or she can then access those blood vessels by catheter and close them off. This allows for a safer surgical excision of the tumor by minimizing the blood loss that...  Full Post
  • Joshua Bederson, MD
    What does an interventional radiologist do during brain tumor surgery?
    Because of the brain’s intimate involvement of crucial blood vessels, a surgical team works closely with the interventional radiologist to eliminate blood supply to the tumor, reduce blood loss during surgery, and thus minimize the risks of the operation.

    When a major artery is involved...  Full Post
  • Joshua Bederson, MD
    How are tumors at the base of the brain treated?
    Previously, tumors at the base of the brain (most of which are benign) were considered either inoperable or only partially removable because of their location deep beneath the brain. Further complicating the situation, important nerves and blood vessels surround the area.

    Within the last...  Full Post
  • Joshua Bederson, MD
    How are trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm treated?
    Trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm are neurological problems, which can be quite disabling, and are believed to be produced by the compression of the respective cranial nerve by a blood vessel at the base of the brain.

    Microsurgical techniques and specialized intraoperative neuroph...  Full Post
  • Joshua Bederson, MD
    What is the outlook for people with pituitary gland tumors?
    Tumors of the pituitary gland produce visual and hormonal impairment. Modern techniques have facilitated early diagnosis, accurate localization, and the development of surgical procedures that result in excellent outcomes and shorter hospital stays. Most pituitary surgery requires only two...  Full Post
  • Joshua Bederson, MD
    What conditions can stereotactic radiosurgery treat?
    Stereotactic radiosurgery can be used to treat the following conditions:
    • acoustic neuroma
    • arteriovenous malformations of the brain and spine
    • brain tumors, benign or malignant, including recurrent
    • glioma and glioblastoma
    • meningioma
    • metastasis
    • pituitary adenoma
    • spine tumors, benign or ma
    ...  Full Post
  • Joshua Bederson, MD
    How is stereotactic radiosurgery used to treat spinal tumors?
    Cancer can spread to the spine, most frequently from the prostate, lung, or breast. Because such spinal metastases (spread) can cause serious consequences, it is important to undergo treatment as quickly as possible.

    Pain is usually the first and one of the most debilitating symptoms. S...  Full Post
  • Joshua Bederson, MD
    How is stereotactic radiosurgery used to treat brain tumors and AVMs?
    Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is used to treat many types of benign and malignant brain tumors, including primary and metastatic tumors, and single or multiple lesions. Sometimes radiosurgery is performed after conventional surgery to treat residual tumor cells.

    Also, radiosurgery can...  Full Post
  • Joshua Bederson, MD
    What is stereotactic radiosurgery for brain tumors?
    Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is essentially surgery without surgery. It involves delivering extremely precise, concentrated, highly focused radiation to a brain or spinal lesion, sparing the healthy tissue surrounding it. Stereotactic radiosurgery is generally used if you have:
    • a lesion
    ...  Full Post
  • Joshua Bederson, MD
    How is chemotherapy used to treat brain tumors?
    Patients may require chemotherapy alone or at the same time as radiation therapy as part of the treatment for brain tumors. Sometimes chemotherapeutic drugs are placed in the tumor cavity at the time of surgery and remain in place during radiation therapy. Other times, oral or intravenous...  Full Post
  • Joshua Bederson, MD
    How does stereotactic radiosurgery treat brain tumors?
    Radiation plays a major role in treating cancer by shrinking or destroying malignant tumors. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) does this by delivering precise, concentrated, highly focused radiation directly to the brain tumor, sparing the surrounding tissue.

    In stereotactic radiosurgery,...  Full Post
  • Joshua Bederson, MD
    What is a computer-assisted image-guided craniotomy?
    A computer-assisted, image-guided craniotomy allows surgeons to gather and store images from an MRI or CT scan. After reformatting, the images are rendered in 3-D, enabling them to see the lesion in relation to critical areas of the brain. Most importantly, the information is displayed during...  Full Post
  • Joshua Bederson, MD
    Who is a candidate for computer-assisted stereotactic neurosurgery?
    Candidates for computer-assisted stereotactic neurosurgery include anybody who needs brain surgery and wants a precise and minimally invasive operation. This includes patients with brain tumors, vascular malformations, infections, and numerous other pathologies. Computer-assisted neurosurgery...  Full Post