Job Title
Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery
Associate Professor of Radiology
Associate Residency Program Director
Expertise
Biography
Michael Levitt, M.D. is an associate professor of neurological surgery and radiology and an adjunct associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Washington. Dr. Levitt graduated summa cum laude from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, completed his neurological surgery residency at the University of Washington and completed additional fellowship training in endovascular neurosurgery at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. Dr. Levitt specializes in minimally invasive treatment of cerebrovascular diseases of the brain and spine including cerebral aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, dural arteriovenous fistulas, carotid stenosis and stroke. He provides both microsurgical and endovascular expertise, often in combination, to approach each patient’s unique medical needs.
Research Interests
Dr. Levitt’s research has received multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH/NINDS). His research interests center around translational efforts to understand how cerebral aneurysms form, grow and rupture. By using cutting-edge technology including patient-specific blood flow measurements and computational fluid dynamics, his team hopes to develop methods to predict the long-term outcomes of minimally invasive aneurysm treatment. He leads a multidisciplinary team of neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists, mechanical engineers and physicists.
Personal Interests
Guitar, piano, jiu jitsu, skiing, hiking, yoga, fiction, cooking and world travel.
Education
Medical Education
Loyola University, Stritch School of Medicine
Internship
University of Washington
Residency
University of Washington
Fellowship
Barrow Neurological Institute
Contact Information
Publications
GOOGLE SCHOLAR PROFILE:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=0iETX8kAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
- Meyer RM, Morton RP, Abecassis IJ, Barber JK, Emerson SN, Nerva JD, Ko AL, Chowdhary MC, Levitt MR, Chesnut RM. Risk of complication with simultaneous cranioplasty and placement of ventriculoperitoneal shunt. World Neurosurgery. In press.
- Huynh TJ, Morton RP, Levitt MR, Ghodke BV, Hallam DK. Successful treatment of direct cavernous carotid fistula in an Ehlers-Danlos type 4 patient without arterial puncture: The transvenous triple overlay embolization (TAILOREd) technique. Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery. In press.
- Morton RP, Abecassis IJ, Hanson JF, Barber JK, Chen M, Kelly CM, Nerva JD, Emerson SN, Ene CI, Levitt MR, Chowdhary MM, Ko AL, Chesnut RM. Timing of cranioplasty: A 10-year single-center analysis of 754 patients. Journal of Neurosurgery. In press.
- Nerva JD, Barber J, Levitt MR, Rockhill JK, Hallam DK, Ghodke BV, Sekhar LN, Kim LJ. Onyx embolization prior to stereotactic radiosurgery for brain arteriovenous malformations: a single-center treatment algorithm.. Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery. Epub 2017 July 14.
- Abecassis IJ, Morton RP, Kim LJ, Ghodke BV, Levitt MR. Combined direct and indirect traumatic carotid-cavernous fistula (CCF): Case report and review of the literature.. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. Epub 2017 Jul 13.
- Abecassis IJ, Morton RP, McGrath L, Hanson J, Xue AH, Kelly CM, Levitt MR, Sekhar LN, Kim LJ. Respiratory and swallowing outcomes based on aneurysm location in 360 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage.. World Neurosurgery. Epub 2017 May 27.
- Xu DS, Levitt MR, Kalani MYS, Rangel-Castilla L, Mulholland CB, Abecassis IJ, Morton RP, Nerva JD, Siddiqui AH, Levy EI, Spetzler RF, Albuquerque FC, McDougall CG. Dolichoectatic aneurysms of the vertebrobasilar system: clinical and radiographic factors that predict poor outcomes.. Journal of Neurosurgery. Epub 2017 Apr 7.
- Straus D, Brito da Silva H, McGrath L, Levitt MR, Kim LJ, Ghodke BV, Barber JK, Sekhar LN. Cerebral Revascularization for Aneurysms in the Flow-Diverter Era. Neurosurgery. Epub 2017 Apr 5.
- Morton RP, Abecassis IJ, Levitt MR, Moore AE, Kim LJ, Sekhar LN. The use of ultrasound for postoperative monitoring of cerebral bypass grafts: A technical report.. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. Epub 2017 Feb 16.
- Zaidi HA, Mooney MA, Levitt MR, Dru AB, Abla AA, Spetzler RF. Impact of Timing of Intervention Among 397 Consecutively Treated Brainstem Cavernous Malformations.. Neurosurgery. Epub 2017 Feb 10.
- Moon K, Park MS, Albuquerque FC, Levitt MR, Mulholland CB, McDougall CG. Changing Paradigms in the Endovascular Management of Ruptured Anterior Communicating Artery Aneurysms.. Neurosurgery. Epub 2017 Jan 25.
- Abecassis IJ, Nerva JD, Ghodke BV, Sekhar LN, Levitt MR, Kim LJ. The dual microcatheter technique for transvenous embolization of dural arteriovenous fistulae.. Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery 9(6):578-582. Epub 2016 Nov 7.
- Levitt MR, Barbour MC, Rolland du Roscoat S, Geindreau C, Chivukula VK, McGah PM, Nerva JD, Morton RP, Kim LJ, Aliseda Computational fluid dynamics of cerebral aneurysm coiling using high-resolution and high-energy synchrotron X-ray microtomography: comparison with the homogeneous porous medium approach.: Comparison to the homogeneous porous medium approach. Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery. Epub 2016 July 12.
- Mabray MC, Datta S, Lillaney PV, Moore T, Gehrisch S, Talbott JF, et al. Accuracy of flat panel detector CT with integrated navigational software with and without MR fusion for single-pass needle placement. Journal of neurointerventional surgery 2016 Jul; 8; 7; 731-5
- Levitt MR, Albuquerque FC, Ducruet AF, Kalani MY, Mulholland CB, McDougall CG Venous sinus stenting for idiopathic intracranial hypertension is not associated with cortical venous occlusion. Journal of neurointerventional surgery 2016 Jun; 8; 6; 594-5
- Mossa-Basha M, de Havenon A, Becker KJ, Hallam DK, Levitt MR, Cohen WA, Hippe DS, Alexander ML, Tirschwell DL, Hatsukami T, Amlie-Lefond C, Yuan C. Added Value of Vessel Wall Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Differentiation of Moyamoya Vasculopathies in a Non-Asian Cohort.. Stroke 47:1782-1788. Epub 2016 June 7.
- Moon K, Nanaszko M, Levitt MR, Gross BA, Zabramski JM, Spetzler RF, Nakaji P. Carotid Endarterectomy on Antiplatelet Agents in the Era of Point-of-Care Testing.. World Neurosurgery 93:215-220, 2016. Epub 2016 June 3.
- Morton RP, Levitt MR, Emerson S, Ghodke BV, Hallam DK, Sekhar LN, et al. Natural History and Management of Blunt Traumatic Pseudoaneurysms of the Internal Carotid Artery: The Harborview Algorithm Based Off a 10-Year Experience. Annals of surgery 2016 Apr; 263; 4; 821-6
- Levitt MR, McGah PM, Moon K, Albuquerque FC, McDougall CG, Kalani MYS, Kim LJ, Aliseda A. Computational Modeling of Venous Sinus Stenosis in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension.. AJNR American Journal of Neuroradiology. Epub 2016 May 20.
- Cooke DL, Levitt MR, Kim LJ, Hallam DK, Sekhar LN, Ghodke BV Laser-assisted flat-detector CT-guided intracranial access. International journal of computer assisted radiology and surgery 2016 Mar; 11; 3; 467-72
- Moon K, Levitt MR, Almefty RO, Nakaji P, Albuquerque FC, Zabramski JM, et al. Safety and Efficacy of Surgical Resection of Unruptured Low-grade Arteriovenous Malformations From the Modern Decade. Neurosurgery 2015 Dec; 77; 6; 948-52; discussion 952-3
- Moon K, Levitt MR, Almefty RO, Nakaji P, Albuquerque FC, Zabramski JM, et al. Treatment of Ruptured Anterior Communicating Artery Aneurysms: Equipoise in the Endovascular Era? Neurosurgery 2015 Oct; 77; 4; 566-71; discussion 571
- Morton RP, Tariq F, Levitt MR, Nerva JD, Mossa-Basha M, Sekhar LN, et al. Radiographic and clinical outcomes in cavernous carotid fistula with special focus on alternative transvenous access techniques. Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia 2015 May; 22; 5; 859-64
- Nerva JD, Morton RP, Levitt MR, Osbun JW, Ferreira MJ, Ghodke BV, et al. Pipeline Embolization Device as primary treatment for blister aneurysms and iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms of the internal carotid artery. Journal of neurointerventional surgery 2015 Mar; 7; 3; 210-6
- Morton RP, Reynolds RM, Ramakrishna R, Levitt MR, Lee A, Browd SR Response.Journal of neurosurgery. Pediatrics 2014 May; 13; 5; 586-7
- McGah PM, Levitt MR, Barbour MC, Morton RP, Nerva JD, Mourad PD, et al. Accuracy of computational cerebral aneurysm hemodynamics using patient-specific endovascular measurements. Annals of biomedical engineering 2014 Mar; 42; 3; 503-14
- Levitt MR, Ghodke BV, Hallam DK, Sekhar LN, Kim LJ Incidence of microemboli and correlation with platelet inhibition in aneurysmal flow diversion. AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology 2013 Dec; 34; 12; 2321-5
- Levitt MR, Osbun JW, Ghodke BV, Kim LJ Radiation dose reduction in neuroendovascular procedures. World neurosurgery 2013 Dec; 80; 6; 681-2
- Morton RP, Reynolds RM, Ramakrishna R, Levitt MR, Hopper RA, Lee A, et al. Low-dose head computed tomography in children: a single institutional experience in pediatric radiation risk reduction: clinical article. Journal of neurosurgery. Pediatrics 2013 Oct; 12; 4; 406-10
- Levitt MR, Vaidya SS, Mai JC, Hallam DK, Kim LJ, Ghodke BV Balloon test occlusion with the Doppler velocity guidewire. Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases : the official journal of National Stroke Association 2012 Nov; 21; 8; 909.e1-4
- Levitt MR, Morton RP, Mai JC, Ghodke B, Hallam DK Endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms in Loeys-Dietz syndrome. Journal of neurointerventional surgery 2012 Nov; 4; 6; e37
- Cecchini MM, Levitt MR, Taneja M, Hallam DK, Ghodke BV Embolization of carotid-cavernous fistula via direct percutaneous puncture of the inferior ophthalmic vein.Journal of neuroradiology. Journal de neuroradiologie 2012 Jul; 39; 3; 181-5
- Levitt MR, Ramanathan D, Vaidya SS, Hallam DK, Ghodke BV Endovascular palliation of AVM-associated intractable trigeminal neuralgia via embolization of the artery of the foramen rotundum. Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) 2011 Dec; 12; 12; 1824-30
- Levitt MR, Gabikian P, Pottinger PS, Silbergeld DL Propionibacterium acnes osteomyelitis occurring 23 years after craniotomy: case report and review of literature.Neurosurgery 2011 Sep; 69; 3; E773-9; discussion E779
- Levitt MR, Ghodke BV, Cooke DL, Hallam DK, Kim LJ, Sekhar LN Endovascular procedures with CTA and MRA roadmapping. Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging 2011 Jul; 21; 3; 259-62
- Levitt MR, Cooke DL, Ghodke BV, Kim LJ, Hallam DK, Sekhar LN "Stent view" flat-detector CT and stent-assisted treatment strategies for complex intracranial aneurysms. World neurosurgery 2011 Feb; 75; 2; 275-8
Centers/Clinics