Curtis Doberstein, MD

Curtis Doberstein, MD, is the director of cerebrovascular surgery at Rhode Island Hospital and vice-chair of clinical operations in the department of neurosurgery. In addition, Dr. Doberstein is director of the Neurosurgery Residency Program and professor of neurosurgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Doberstein received his medical degree in 1988 from McGill University in Montreal and completed his residency in neurosurgery and fellowship at the University of California at Los Angeles.

Dr. Doberstein has been board-certified by the American Board of Neurosurgery since 2000. He served as interim chairman of neurosurgery at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University from 2007 to 2010. In 1995, Dr. Doberstein joined the Neurosurgery Foundation and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He is an associate professor (clinical) in the department of neurosurgery at Brown and serves as the Brown University neurosurgery residency program director. He directs the section of vascular neurosurgery at Rhode Island Hospital. He is an active member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurologic Surgeons and serves as a MOC/CME committee member for the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

Dr. Doberstein specializes in surgery on the blood vessels of the brain, neck and spinal column. He sees many patients with circulatory problems such as aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and carotid artery disease. He also treats patients with nervous system tumors, including those of the brain and the skull base. Patients with degenerative spine disorders comprise another large part of his practice.

Research Interests

Dr. Doberstein, MD has conducted research on apoptosis after stroke and cerebral metabolic alterations following closed head injuries.

At present, he is investigating clinical outcomes following the removal of plaque from a carotid artery. He has performed more than 500 of these surgeries. Specifically, he is exploring the feasibility of same-day discharge after carotid endarterectomy.

Professional Papers

• Group B Beta-Hemolytic Osteomyelitis of the Heel: A Case Report. Doberstein C, MacEwen GD, Lee MS Clin Orthop 213:225-228 1988
• Intraoperative Angiography in Cerebrovascular Surgery. Martin NA, Doberstein C, Bentson J, Vinuela F, Dion J, Becker DP Clin Neurosurg 37:312-331 1990
• Cystic Neoplasms of the Pancreas. Doberstein C, Kirchner R, Gordon L, Morgenstern L, Shapiro S Mt. Sinai J.Med 57:102-106 1990
• Post-traumatic Cerebral Arterial Spasm: Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound, Cerebral Blood Flow, and Angiographic Findings. Martin NA, Doberstein C, Caron M, Zane C, Thomas K, Becker DP J. Neurosurg, 77:575-583 1992
• Clinical Considerations in the Doberstein C, Hovda DA, Becker DB Ann Emerg Med, 22:993-997 1993
• Metabolic Alterations Accompany Ionic Disturbances and Cellular Doberstein C, Fineman I, Hovda DA, Martin NA, Keenly L, Becker DP Acta Neurochir (Suppl)60:41-44 1994
• Cerebral Blood Flow Measurement in Martin NA, Doberstein C Neurosurg Clin N. Amer, 5(4):607-618 1994
• Post-traumatic Cerebral Arterial Spasm Martin NA, Doberstein C, Alexander MJ, Khanna R, Benzalcazar H, Alsina G, Zane C, McBride D, Kelly D, Houda D, Becker DB, McArthur D, Zavcha K J Neurotrauma, 12(5): 897-901 1995
• Temporally Associated Rupture of Guglielmo MA, Doberstein C A Case Report. J.1998
• The temporal Profile and Morphologic Features of Neuronal Death in Human Stroke Resemble Those Observed in Experimental Forebrain Ischemia: The Potential Role of Apoptosis. Guglielmo MA, Chan PT, Cortez S, Stopa E, McMillan P, Johanson CE, Epstein M, Doberstein CE Neurol Res 20:289-296 1998
• Therapeutic Embolization Arteriovenous Malformations: The Case For and Against Martin N, Khanna R, Doberstein C, Benston J. Clinical Neurosurgery, Vol. 46, 295-318 1998
• Assessment of the Value of MR Imaging for Examining Patients with Angiographically Negative Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Rogg JM, Smeaton S, Doberstein C, Goldstein JH, Tung GA, Haas RA AJR 172:201-206 1999
• Intracanalicular Aneurysm of the Anterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery Revealed by Multi- Detector CT Angiography. Jayaraman MV, Mayo-Smith WW, Doberstein CE AJR Am J Neuroradiol 24(7): 1338-40 2003
• Recovery of choroid plexus function in aged rats subjected to transient forebrain ischemia Johanson C, Palm D, Doberstein C, Stopa E Neurosci. Lett., in press.
• Sustained CA1 Neuronal Survival by FGF-Z Following Forebrain Ischemia In The Rat: A Possible Role For The Choroid Plexus-CSF System. Hayamizv T, Chan PT, Doberstein C, Sunwoo L, Guglielmo MA, Hayamizv T, Chan PT, Doberstein C, Sunwoo L, Guglielmo MA, Hayamizv T, Chan PT, Doberstein C, Sunwoo L, Guglielmo MA, Johanson, CE. Neurological Research
• Spontaneous thrombosis of a cerebral arteriovenous malformation: A case report. Sungarian A, Doberstein C, Haas R Scandinavian J. Nsurg.