Dr. Sanat Dixit, MD

Being referred to a neurosurgeon can be a source of tremendous anxiety for patients. "Why am I seeing a surgeon? Who is this person I'm being asked to see? Does this mean surgery is inevitable? Will the doctor listen to me and my family about my concerns? How reputable is the surgeon and how proficient is he in providing care? Does this person actually care about what happens to me?" Dr. Sanat Dixit understands these concerns. They have helped shape his approach to patient care. EDUCATION & EXPERTISE Sanat Dixit is a subspecialty trained neurosurgeon, board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgeons and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He was born in Lucknow, India and emigrated with his family to the United States at the age of 3. He grew up in the New York area and subsequently earned undergraduate degrees at Case Western Reserve University, and his M.D. at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He completed his neurosurgical training at the Pennsylvania State University, M.S. Hershey Medical Center. He subsequently completed a fellowship in interventional neuroradiology and endovascular neurosurgery, with added training in cerebrovascular surgery at the Semmes-Murphey Clinic/Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, TN. He has had academic appointments with the University of Tennessee and University of Colorado School of Medicine. He has also earned a Masters in Business Administration at the Owen Graduate School of Management - Vanderbilt University. He is a proponent and advocate for patient centered, value based systems of healthcare. He specializes in the minimally invasive treatment of disorders of the brain and spine, with an emphasis on nonsurgical management of neck and back disorders. He has special expertise in the treatment of cerebrovascular disease, including cerebral aneurysms, vascular malformations, carotid/vertebral artery stenosis, and acute stroke. He is one of a handful of neurosurgeons in the United States cross trained in both neurosurgery and interventional neuroradiology (endovascular neurosurgery). Dr Dixit was among the first endovascular neurosurgeons in the State of Tennessee and was the first endovascular neurosurgeon in Colorado. He has been involved in several landmark trials involving acute stroke therapies, carotid artery stenting and endovascular aneurysm treatments. He has surgically managed over 500 cerebral aneurysms, 250 brain tumors and over 1500 patients with cervical and lumbar disc disease over a 13 year career. In addition, he has extensive experience in the operative and non-operative management of spine disorders; including degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, spine fractures and tumors of the spine/spinal cord. CLINICAL APPROACH A successful outcome is predicated on making the correct diagnosis, and this takes time (and sometimes expains your wait to see him.) Dr Dixit understands that the most important source of information is the patient and not their test results. Patients are often apprehensive about abnormalities noted on tests like CT scans and MRI scans. These are helpful bits of information, but they often don't tell the whole story. Dr Dixit's approach is geared to understanding how your condition affects you and helping you to understand the best options for managing it - whether surgical or nonsurgical. In his own words "There is too much surgery being done for the wrong reasons. Our job is to find the right reason at the right time for the right patient." GOOD HANDS, GOOD HEART Surgery is an exacting science, but patient care is an art. His emphasis has always been on patient care - determining the best management strategy for each patient on an individual basis, with an emphasis on helping patients understand their options. More than anything else he realizes the importance of the connection between physician and patient as being the crux behind obtaining the best outcome.