Vascular neurosurgeon

Dr. Michael T. Lawton is the chief of Vascular Neurosurgery in the Neurosurgery Clinic at UCSF Medical Center and specializes in the surgical treatment of aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), arteriovenous fistulas, cavernous malformations and cerebral revascularization, including carotid endarterectomy. As chief of the busiest vascular neurosurgery service on the West Coast for over 15 years, he has surgically treated over 3,000 brain aneurysms and over 600 AVMs. He is also trained in the endovascular treatment of aneurysms.

His research at the Center for Neurological Cerebrovascular Research (CCR) investigates the physiology of cerebral circulation and the pathophysiology of vascular malformations. His basic science investigations study the formation, underlying genetics and rupture of brain AVMs, as well as hemodynamics, rupture and computational modeling of brain aneurysms. His clinical investigations study the anatomy of microsurgical approaches to vascular lesions and efficacy of aneurysm, AVM and bypass surgery.

Lawton is the Tong-Po Kan endowed chair, a professor of neurological surgery and vice chairman of the department. He received numerous research awards as a resident and received the Young Neurosurgeon Award from the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies and the International Congress of Neurological Surgery. Lawton graduated with honors from Brown University with an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering. He earned a medical degree at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed a general surgery internship at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He completed a neurosurgical residency and fellowship in cerebrovascular and skull-base surgery at the Barrow Neurological Institute.

Clinics HHT Center of Excellence 2330 Post St., Suite 100 San Francisco, CA 94115 Phone: (415) 353-1300 Fax: (415) 353-8570

Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Neurosurgery Clinic 400 Parnassus Ave., Eighth Floor San Francisco, CA 94143 Phone: (415) 353-7500 Fax: (415) 353-2889

Hours: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Neurovascular Disease and Stroke Center 400 Parnassus Ave., Eighth Floor San Francisco, CA 94143 Phone: (415) 353-8897 Fax: (415) 353-8705

Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Additional Languages French

Education Johns Hopkins School of Medicine 1990

Residencies Johns Hopkins Hospital, General Surgery 1991

Fellowships St. Joseph's Hospital, Cerbrovascular/Skull Base Surgery 1996

St. Joseph's Hospital, Neurological Surgery 1997

1: Lawton MT, Abla AA. Management of brain arteriovenous malformations. Lancet. 2014 May 10;383(9929):1634-5. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60784-4. PubMed PMID: 24814452.

2: Lawton MT. Temporal lobe arteriovenous malformations. Response. J Neurosurg. 2013 Sep;119(3):615. PubMed PMID: 24137777.

3: Lawton MT. Editorial: middle cerebral artery aneurysms. J Neurosurg. 2013 May;118(5):947-8; discussion 948-9. doi: 10.3171/2012.9.JNS121606. Epub 2013 Feb 8. PubMed PMID: 23394333.

4: Lawton MT. Selecting therapy for complex aneurysms. World Neurosurg. 2011 Mar-Apr;75(3-4):408. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2010.11.026. PubMed PMID: 21600474.

5: Lawton MT, Kim H, McCulloch CE, Mikhak B, Young WL. A supplementary grading scale for selecting patients with brain arteriovenous malformations for surgery. Neurosurgery. 2010 Apr;66(4):702-13; discussion 713. doi: 10.1227/01.NEU.0000367555.16733.E1. PubMed PMID: 20190666; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2847513.

6: Lawton MT, Quinones-Hinojosa A, Sanai N, Malek JY, Dowd CF. Combined microsurgical and endovascular management of complex intracranial aneurysms. Neurosurgery. 2008 Jun;62(6 Suppl 3):1503-15. doi: 10.1227/01.neu.0000333814.02649.a0. PubMed PMID: 18695569.

7: Lawton MT, Arnold CM, Kim YJ, Bogarin EA, Stewart CL, Wulfstat AA, Derugin N, Deen D, Young WL. Radiation arteriopathy in the transgenic arteriovenous fistula model. Neurosurgery. 2008 May;62(5):1129-38; discussion 138-9. doi: 10.1227/01.neu.0000325875.82999.3c. PubMed PMID: 18580811.

8: Lawton MT, Sanchez-Mejia RO, Pham D, Tan J, Halbach VV. Tentorial dural arteriovenous fistulae: operative strategies and microsurgical results for six types. Neurosurgery. 2008 Mar;62(3 Suppl 1):110-24; discussion 124-5. doi: 10.1227/01.neu.0000317381.68561.b0. PubMed PMID: 18424975.

9: Lawton MT, Lu DC, Young WL; University of California, San Francisco Brain Arteriovenous Malformation Study Project. Sylvian fissure arteriovenous malformations: an application of the Sugita classification to 28 surgical patients. Neurosurgery. 2007 Jul;61(1):29-36; discussion 36-8. PubMed PMID: 17621016.

10: Lawton MT, Narvid J, Quiñones-Hinojosa A. Predictors of neurosurgical career choice among residents and residency applicants. Neurosurgery. 2007 May;60(5):934-9; discussion 934-9. PubMed PMID: 17460530.

11: Lawton MT. Commentary. Skull Base. 2002 Feb;12(1):17. PubMed PMID: 17167636; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC1654764.

12: Lawton MT, Quiñones-Hinojosa A, Jun P. The supratonsillar approach to the inferior cerebellar peduncle: anatomy, surgical technique, and clinical application to cavernous malformations. Neurosurgery. 2006 Oct;59(4 Suppl 2):ONS244-51; discussion ONS251-2. PubMed PMID: 17041494.

13: Lawton MT, Quiñones-Hinojosa A. Double reimplantation technique to reconstruct arterial bifurcations with giant aneurysms. Neurosurgery. 2006 Apr;58(4 Suppl 2):ONS-347-53; discussion ONS-353-4. PubMed PMID: 16582659.

14: Lawton MT, Du R. Effect of the neurosurgeon's surgical experience on outcomes from intraoperative aneurysmal rupture. Neurosurgery. 2005 Jul;57(1):9-15; discussion 9-15. PubMed PMID: 15987535.

15: Lawton MT, Vates GE, Quinones-Hinojosa A, McDonald WC, Marchuk DA, Young WL. Giant infiltrative cavernous malformation: clinical presentation, intervention, and genetic analysis: case report. Neurosurgery. 2004 Oct;55(4):979-80. PubMed PMID: 15934180.

16: Lawton MT, Du R, Tran MN, Achrol AS, McCulloch CE, Johnston SC, Quinnine NJ, Young WL. Effect of presenting hemorrhage on outcome after microsurgical resection of brain arteriovenous malformations. Neurosurgery. 2005 Mar;56(3):485-93; discussion 485-93. PubMed PMID: 15730573.

17: Lawton MT, Quiñones-Hinojosa A, Chang EF, Yu T. Thrombotic intracranial aneurysms: classification scheme and management strategies in 68 patients. Neurosurgery. 2005 Mar;56(3):441-54; discussion 441-54. Review. PubMed PMID: 15730569.

18: Lawton MT, Stewart CL, Wulfstat AA, Derugin N, Hashimoto T, Young WL. The transgenic arteriovenous fistula in the rat: an experimental model of gene therapy for brain arteriovenous malformations. Neurosurgery. 2004 Jun;54(6):1463-71; discussion 1471. PubMed PMID: 15157304.

19: Lawton MT; UCSF Brain Arteriovenous Malformation Study Project. Spetzler-Martin Grade III arteriovenous malformations: surgical results and a modification of the grading scale. Neurosurgery. 2003 Apr;52(4):740-8; discussion 748-9. PubMed PMID: 12657169.

20: Lawton MT, Quinones-Hinojosa A, Sanai N, Malek JY, Dowd CF. Combined microsurgical and endovascular management of complex intracranial aneurysms. Neurosurgery. 2003 Feb;52(2):263-74; discussion 274-5. PubMed PMID: 12535354.

21: Lawton MT. Basilar apex aneurysms: surgical results and perspectives from an initial experience. Neurosurgery. 2002 Jan;50(1):1-8; discussion 8-10. PubMed PMID: 11844228.

22: Lawton MT, Chun J, Wilson CB, Halbach VV. Ethmoidal dural arteriovenous fistulae: an assessment of surgical and endovascular management. Neurosurgery. 1999 Oct;45(4):805-10; discussion 810-1. PubMed PMID: 10515474.

23: Lawton MT, Spetzler RF. Surgical strategies for giant intracranial aneurysms. Acta Neurochir Suppl. 1999;72:141-56. PubMed PMID: 10337420.

24: Lawton MT, Spetzler RF. Surgical strategies for giant intracranial aneurysms. Neurosurg Clin N Am. 1998 Oct;9(4):725-42. Review. PubMed PMID: 9738103.

25: Lawton MT, Raudzens PA, Zabramski JM, Spetzler RF. Hypothermic circulatory arrest in neurovascular surgery: evolving indications and predictors of patient outcome. Neurosurgery. 1998 Jul;43(1):10-20; discussion 20-1. PubMed PMID: 9657183.

26: Lawton MT, Daspit CP, Spetzler RF. Technical aspects and recent trends in the management of large and giant midbasilar artery aneurysms. Neurosurgery. 1997 Sep;41(3):513-20; discussion 520-1. PubMed PMID: 9310966.

27: Lawton MT, Jacobowitz R, Spetzler RF. Redefined role of angiogenesis in the pathogenesis of dural arteriovenous malformations. J Neurosurg. 1997 Aug;87(2):267-74. PubMed PMID: 9254092.

28: Lawton MT, Heiserman JE, Coons SW, Ragsdale BD, Spetzler RF. Juvenile active ossifying fibroma. Report of four cases. J Neurosurg. 1997 Feb;86(2):279-85. PubMed PMID: 9010430.

29: Lawton MT, Daspit CP, Spetzler RF. Presigmoid approaches to skull base lesions. Adv Tech Stand Neurosurg. 1997;23:189-204. Review. PubMed PMID: 9075473.

30: Lawton MT, Golfinos JG, Spetzler RF. The contralateral transcallosal approach: experience with 32 patients. Neurosurgery. 1996 Oct;39(4):729-34; discussion 734-5. PubMed PMID: 8880765.

31: Lawton MT, Heiserman JE, Prendergast VC, Zabramski JM, Spetzler RF. Titanium aneurysm clips: Part III–Clinical application in 16 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Neurosurgery. 1996 Jun;38(6):1170-5. PubMed PMID: 8727149.

32: Lawton MT, Ho JC, Bichard WD, Coons SW, Zabramski JM, Spetzler RF. Titanium aneurysm clips: Part I–Mechanical, radiological, and biocompatibility testing. Neurosurgery. 1996 Jun;38(6):1158-63; discussion 1164. PubMed PMID: 8727147.

33: Lawton MT, Spetzler RF. Internal carotid artery sacrifice for radical resection of skull base tumors. Skull Base Surg. 1996;6(2):119-23. PubMed PMID: 17170986; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC1656574.

34: Lawton MT, Daspit CP, Spetzler RF. Transpetrosal and combination approaches to skull base lesions. Clin Neurosurg. 1996;43:91-112. Review. PubMed PMID: 9247797.

35: Lawton MT, Hamilton MG, Morcos JJ, Spetzler RF. Revascularization and aneurysm surgery: current techniques, indications, and outcome. Neurosurgery. 1996 Jan;38(1):83-92; discussion 92-4. PubMed PMID: 8747955.

36: Lawton MT, Hamilton MG, Spetzler RF. Multimodality treatment of deep arteriovenous malformations: thalamus, basal ganglia, and brain stem. Neurosurgery. 1995 Jul;37(1):29-35; discussion 35-6. PubMed PMID: 8587687.

37: Lawton MT, Porter RW, Heiserman JE, Jacobowitz R, Sonntag VK, Dickman CA. Surgical management of spinal epidural hematoma: relationship between surgical timing and neurological outcome. J Neurosurg. 1995 Jul;83(1):1-7. PubMed PMID: 7782824.

38: Lawton MT, Hamilton MG, Beals SP, Joganic EF, Spetzler RF. Radical resection of anterior skull base tumors. Clin Neurosurg. 1995;42:43-70. Review. PubMed PMID: 8846608.

39: Lawton MT, Spetzler RF. Surgical management of giant intracranial aneurysms: experience with 171 patients. Clin Neurosurg. 1995;42:245-66. Review. PubMed PMID: 8846596.