NitinNarainBhatiaMDFACS

Orthopaedic Surgery • Orange, CA

Orthopedic Spine Surgery

Professor & Chair Chief, Spine Surgery UC Irvine Orthopedic Surgery

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Office
101 The City Dr S
# Pavilion
Orange, CA 92868
Phone+1 714-456-7012

Summary

Dr. Nitin Bhatia, a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon and Fellowship Trained Spinal surgeon, serves as Director of the Spine Center and Chief of the Orthopaedic Spinal Surgery service at the University of California, Irvine, and is Director of the Newport Beach based Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center.

For all of our patients, a multi-disciplinary non-surgical approach is used. This approach allows the majority of our patients to improve without surgical intervention. When surgery is necessary, Dr. Bhatia's extensive orthopedic and neurosurgery spine training in state of the art techniques help to cure his patients' problems with minimal recovery time and less discomfort than other methods.

The UC Irvine Spine Center provides care for Orange County and the surrounding communities including Irvine, Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, Laguna Nigel, Garden Grove, Fountain Valley, Santa Ana, Fullerton, Westminster, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Long Beach, Anaheim, Brea, Mission Viejo, Temecula, Fallbrook, Hemet, Los Angeles, and Riverside. Patients from outside these communities are welcome at the UCI Spine Center as well. International patients are encouraged to contact us for assistance and coordination of medical care.

Education & Training

Nicklaus Childrens HospitalFellowship, Spinal Deformity , 2004 - 2004
University of Miami/Jackson Health SystemFellowship, Orthopaedic Surgery Of The Spine, 2003 - 2004
UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine/UCLA Medical CenterResidency, Orthopaedic Surgery, 1999 - 2003
University of California, Los Angeles1998 - 1999
Baylor College of MedicineClass of 1998, MD, Michael E. DeBakey Scholar Award
Stanford UniversityBS, Biology, Honors, 1990 - 1994

Certifications & Licensure

CA State Medical License 2000 - 2025
American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Orthopaedic Surgery
American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery

Awards, Honors, & Recognition

Southern California SuperDoctors Los Angeles Magazine, 2012-2019
Physicians of Excellence Orange County Medical Association, 2012-2019
Resident Research Award California Orthopaedic Association, 2010
Triumvirate Grant Award University of California, 2010
The Harold and Nancy Willingham Award for Outstanding Research Paper Western Orthopaedic Association, 2009
Best Paper Award Winner American College of Spine Surgery, 2009
Emerging Leaders American Orthopaedic Association, 2009
Outstanding Paper Award Winner Cervical Spine Research Society, 2008
Japanese Orthopaedic Association Exchange Traveling Fellow American Orthopaedic Association, 2008
Faculty Teaching Award University of California, Irvine, 2005
Outstanding Paper Nominee Cervical Spine Research Society, 2005
Edgar Dawson Traveling Fellowship Scoliosis Research Society, 2005
Hibbs Award Nominee Scoliosis Research Society, 2005, 2009
Physician of the Year nominee University of California, Los Angeles, 2001
Emergency Department Consultant of the Year nominee University of California, Los Angeles, 2001
Michael E. DeBakey Scholar Award Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, 1998
Class Valedictorian Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, 1998
Lange Medical Research Award Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, 1998
Outstanding Student in Orthopaedic Surgery Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, 1998
Most Outstanding Research by a Medical Student Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, 1998
Graduation with Highest Honors Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, 1998
Alpha Omega Alpha Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, 1998
Karolinska Institute Research Fellowship Award Baylor College of Medicine, 1997
Alumni Award for Academic Excellence Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, 1996
Basic Science High Honors Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, 1995
Butler Award for Academic Excellence Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, 1995
The Endocrine Society Student Research Award 1994
Kappa Alpha Order Scholarship Award Stanford University, 1993
Super Doctor SuperDoctors.com
Top MD Consumers Checkbook
Fellow (FACS) American College of Surgeons
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Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Elevated Serum Alkaline Phosphatase is an Independent Predictor of Complications After Lumbar Spinal Fusion.
Justin P Chan, Brandon Lung, Megan Donnelly, Sohaib Z Hashmi, Nitin Bhatia
World Neurosurgery. 2024-08-01
Does obesity and varying body mass index affect the clinical outcomes and safety of biportal endoscopic lumbar decompression? A comparative cohort study.
Thomas E Olson, Alexander Upfill-Brown, Babapelumi Adejuyigbe, Nitin Bhatia, Yu-Po Lee
Acta Neurochirurgica. 2024-06-03
Correction: A comparison of short-term outcomes after surgical treatment of multilevel degenerative cervical myelopathy in the geriatric patient population: an analysi...
Jeffrey Hyun-Kyu Choi, Paramveer Singh Birring, Joshua Lee, Sohaib Zafar Hashmi, Nitin Narain Bhatia
Asian Spine Journal. 2024-06-01

Journal Articles

Orthopaedic Surgeons and Spinal Cord Injury Patients (Invited Review).
Bhatia NN and Gupta G, AAOS Now
Clinical Outcomes of Spinal Surgery in Patients Treated with Hemodialysis.
Chikawa T, Sakai T, Bhatia NN, Miyagi R, Sairyo K, Goda Y, Nakamura M, Nakano S, Shimakawa T, and Minato A, J Spinal Dis Tech
Drivers of Surgery for the Degenerative Hip, Knee, and Spine: A Systematic Review.
Bederman SS, Rosen CD, Bhatia NN, Kiester PD, Gupta R, Clin Orthop Relat Res
Flavokawain B, a Kava Chalcone, Induces Apoptosis in Synovial Sarcoma Cell Lines.
Sakai T, Ramez E, Guo Y, Kim KJ, Mefford J, Hopkins J, Bhatia NN, Zi X, Hoang BH, Journal of Orthopaedic Research
MRI Changes of the Spinal Subdural Space after Lumbar Spine Surgeries: Report of Two Cases.
Sakai T, Sairyo K, Bhatia NN, Miyagi R, Tamura T, Katoh S, Yasui N, Asian Spine J
Biomechanical Evaluation of an Expandable Cage in Single Segment Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion.
Bhatia NN, Lee KH, Bui CN, Luna M, Wahba GM, Lee TQ, Spine
Modic Type I changes of the Lumbar Spine in Golfers.
Mefford J, Sairyo K, Sakai T, Hopkins J, Inoue M, Amari R, Bhatia N, Dezawa A, Yasui N, Skeletal Radiology
Advances in the Management of Spinal Cord Injury.
Gupta R, Bathen M, Smith J, Levi AD, Bhatia NN, Steward O, J Am Acad Ortho Surg
Resection of Glial Scar Following Spinal Cord Injury.
Rasouli A, Bhatia N, Dinh P, Cahill K, Suryadevara S, Gupta R, J Orthop Research
Transcriptional and Posttranscriptional Regulation of Inhibin alpha-Subunit Gene Expression in Rat Sertoli Cells by 8-Bromo-3’, 5’-Cyclic-Adenosine Monophosphate.
Najmabadi H, Rosenberg LA, Yuan QX, Bhatia N, Albiston AL, Burger H, Bhasin S, Molecular Endocrinology
A Prospective Evaluation of Diagnostic Modalities in Pediatric Back Pain.
Bhatia NN, Chow G, Timon S, and Watts HG, Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics
Minimally Invasive Atlanto-Odontoid Joint Injection for Involvement in Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Kostanian VJ, Mathews MS, Westhout FD, Bhatia NN; Interventional Radiology
Transplantation of Preconditioned Schwann Cells in Peripheral Nerve Grafts after Contusion in the Adult Spinal Cord: Improvement of Recovery in a Rat Model.
Rasouli A, Bhatia NN, Suryadevara S, Cahill K, Gupta R, J Bone Joint Surg Am
The Role of the Sternocleidomastoid Muscle Flap for Esophageal Fistula Repair in Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery.
Navarro R, Javahery R, Eismont F, Arnold DJ, Bhatia NN, Vanni S, Levi AD, Spine
Adjacent Segment Degeneration in the Lumbar Spine.
Ghiselli G, Wang JC, Bhatia NN, Hsu WK, Dawson EG, J Bone Joint Surg Am
Current Information Regarding the Biochemical and Genetic Events Which Occur During Disc Degeneration.
Bhatia N, Wang J, Current Opinion in Orthopaedics
Compartmentalized Bone Regeneration of Cranial Defects with Biodegradable Barriers: an Animal Model.
Stal S, Tjelmeland K, Hicks J, Bhatia N, Eppley B, Hollier L, Journal of Craniofacial Surgery
Congenital Syndromes Associated with Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer.
Gherardini G, Bhatia N, Stal S, Clinics of Plastic Surgery
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Books/Book Chapters

Operative Plastic Surgery.
Chapter: Costal Cartilage Grafts
Bhatia NNEditors: In Evans G.Appleton and Lange, Stamford, CT
Management of Thoracolumbar Fractures.
Chapter: The Management of Spinal Cord Injury in Thoracolumbar Trauma
Bhatia NNEditors: In Reitman C.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rosemont, IL
Current Diagnosis and Treatment in Orthopaedics.
Chapter: Disorder, Disease, and Injuries of the Spine
Bhatia NNEditors: In Skinner H.. Lange/Mc-Graw Hill, New York, NY
Orthopaedic Knowledge Update 9.
Chapter: Spinal Cord and Peripheral Nerve Injury
Bhatia NNAmerican Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rosemont, IL
Orthopaedic Board Review.
Chapter: 5. Imaging of the Spine
Bhatia NNEditors: In Lieberman, JR.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rosemont, IL
Spine Trauma – Surgical Techniques.
Chapter: 6. Thoracic Spinal Stability: Decision Making
Bhatia NNEditors: In Patel V.Springer, Heidelberg, Germany
Spine Trauma - Surgical Techniques.
Chapter: Lumbar Spinal Stability: Decision Making
Bhatia NNEditors: In Patel V.Springer, Heidelberg, Germany
Rothman-Simeone: The Spine, 6th Edition.
Chapter: 8. Post-operative Spinal Infections
Bhatia NNEditors: In Garfin S.Elsevier, Philadelphia, PA
Advanced Reconstruction: The Spine.
Chapter: 9. Pre-Sacral Lumbar Fusion with TranS1 AxiaLIF
Bhatia NNEditors: In Wang J.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rosemont, IL
Seminars in Spine Surgery.
Chapter: 10. Long-term Outcomes and Complications following Anterior and Posterior Cervical Spine Surgery
Bhatia NNEditors: In Rao R.Stellar Medical Publications, Plymouth, MA
Orthopaedic Knowledge Update 10.
Chapter: 11. Spondylolisthesis and Spondylolysis
Bhatia NNAmerican Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rosemont, IL
The Cervical Spine, 5th Edition.
Chapter: 12. Central Cord Syndrome: Acute Decompression versus Watch and Wait
Bhatia NNLippincott Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, PA
Spine Surgery Basics.
Chapter: 13. Spine Trauma: Low Lumbar Spine (including L3-L5)
Bhatia NNSpringer, Heidelberg, Germany
Mastering Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery: Spine.
Chapter: 14. Thoracolumbar Fractures
Bhatia NNEditors: In Garg B.Jaypee Publishers, New Delhi, India
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Abstracts/Posters

Spinal Surgery and Implants.
Bhatia N, Proceedings of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering 4th Frontiers in Biomedical Devices..., Irvine, CA
Do Patients with Concurrent Lumbar Stenosis Have Impaired Results Following Cervical Laminoplasty for Spondylotic Myelopathy?
Bhatia N, Geck M, Gottlieb J, Harrison R, Eismont F, Spine Across the Sea: 51-52
Laminoplasty for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy in the Elderly North American Population: Minimum of Two Year Follow-Up.
Bhatia N, Geck M, Gottlieb J, Harrison R, Eismont F, Spine Across the Sea: 52
Novel kyphoplasty/brachytherapy technique for the treatment of vertebral metastases: A mathematical modeling feasibility study.
Bhatia NN, Proceedings of the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center Conference, Rancho Mirage, CA
Novel kyphoplasty/brachytherapy technique for the treatment of vertebral metastases: A Monte Carlo feasibility study.
Marcus P, Sehgal V, Al-Ghazi M, Ramsinghani N, Hoang B, Bhatia N, Skinner H, and Keyak J, Med Physics 34:2475-2475
The Role of Durotomy and Duraplasty Following Cervical Spinal Cord Injury in an Animal Model.
Bhatia NN, Proceedings of the Cervical Spine Research Society 36th annual meeting, Austin, TX
Biomechanical Evaluation of Short-Segment Posterior Instrumentation with Crosslinks in an Unstable Human Burst Fracture Model.
Bhatia NN, Transactions of the Orthopaedic Research Society annual meeting, Las Vegas, NV
Biomechanical Evaluation of an Expandable Cage in Single Segment Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion.
Bhatia NN, Transactions of the Orthopaedic Research Society annual meeting, Las Vegas, NV
Biomechanical Comparison of Trans-Sacral and Triangular Osteosynthesis in a Vertically Unstable Pelvic Fracture Model.
Bhatia NN, Transactions of the Orthopaedic Research Society annual meeting, Las Vegas, NV
The Role of Decompression with either Durotomy or Duraplasty Following Cervical Spinal Cord Injury.
Bhatia NN, Transactions of the Orthopaedic Research Society annual meeting, Las Vegas, NV
Posterior Cervical Instrumentation: Past, Present, and Future and the Roy-Camille Technique of Lateral Mass Fixation.
Bhatia N, Sairyo K, Transactions of the Japanese Society for Spine Surgery and Related Research, 38th Annual Meeting, Kobe, Japan
Resection of Glial Scar Following Spinal Cord Injury.
Bhatia NN, Transactions of the Orthopaedic Research Society
Biomechanical Evaluation of an Expandable Cage in Single Segment Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion.
Bhatia N, Lee K, Bui C, Whaba G, Estess A, Luna M, Lee TQ, Proceedings of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering 4th Frontiers in Biomedical Devices..., Irvine, CA
Biomechanical Evaluation of Short-Segement Posterior Instrumentation With Crosslinks in an Unstable Human Burst Fracture Model.
Wahba G, Bhatia N, Lee T, Proceedings of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering 4th Frontiers in Biomedical Devices..., Irvine, CA
Biomechanical Comparison of Trans-Sacral and Triangular Osteosynthesis in a Vertically Unstable Pelvic Fracture Model.
Zamorano D, Min K, Wahba G, Bhatia N, Garcia I, Lee T, Proceedings of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering 4th Frontiers in Biomedical Devices..., Irvine, CA
Early Surgical Decompression with Duraplasty in Acute Spinal Cord Injury Improves Functional Recovery in an Animal Model.
Smith J, Anderson R, Pham T, Bhatia N, Steward O, Gupta R, Transactions of the Scoliosis Research Society annual meeting, San Antonio
Short-Segment Posterior Instrumentation in Unstable Thoracolumbar Burst Fractures: Do Crosslinks Improve Biomechanical Stability?
Wahba G, Bhatia N, Bui C, Lee K, Lee TQ, Proceedings of the annual meeting of the North American Spine Society, San Francisco
The Role of Decompression with Either Durotomy or Duraplasty Following Cervical Spinal Cord Injury.
Smith J, Anderson R, Pham T, Bhatia N, Steward O, Gupta R, Proceedings of the annual meeting of the North American Spine Society, San Francisco, CA
Comparison of Trans-sacral and Triangular Osteosynthesis in an Unstable Pelvic Fracture.
Min KS, Zamorano D, Wahba G, Garcia I, Bhatia N, Lee TQ, Transactions of the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, New Orleans
Analysis of Prognostic Factors in Chordoma Using the California Cancer Registry.
Lee J, Bhatia N, Hoang B, Ziogas A, Zell J, Proceedings of the annual meeting of the California Orthopaedic Association, Lake Tahoe
Analysis of Prognostic Factors in Chordoma Using the California Cancer Registry.
Lee J, Bhatia N, Hoang B, Ziogas A, Zell J, Transactions of the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Diego, CA
Biomechanical Comparison of Unilateral versus Bilateral C1-C2 Fixation Following Odontoid Fracture.
Bhatia N, Rama A, Sievers B, Quigley R, Lee TQ, Proceedings of the annual meeting of the American College of Spine Surgery, Las Vegas, NV
Resection of Glial Scar Following Spinal Cord Injury.
Bhatia NN, Transactions of the International Meeting for Advanced Spinal Techniques (IMAST)
Adjacent Segment Degeneration After Lumbar Fusion: Long Term Survivorship Analysis of 217 Patients.
Bhatia NN, Proceedings of the North American Spine Society
Proximal Segment Degeneration Following Posterior Lumbosacral Fusions (L4-S1 and L5-S1).
Bhatia NN, Transactions of the Scoliosis Research Society
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Lectures

Spinal Cord Injury Complications.
Grand Rounds, Torrance Memorial Hospital, Torrance, CA
Complications of Posterior Cervical Surgery.
. Complex Cervical Surgery Symposium, Denver, CO
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis, Back Pain, and Disc Herniations.
Family Practice Review Symposium, UC Irvine-Long Beach Memorial Hospital, Long Beach, CA
Anterior Cervical Surgery Advanced Techniques.
Cervical and Lumbar Instructional Course, Santa Monica, CA
Cervical Evaluation in the Multi-Trauma Patient.
University of California, Irvine, Graduate Research Forum
Lumbar Spinal Disorders and the Primary Care Physician.
Family Practice Review Symposium, UC Irvine-Long Beach Memorial Hospital, Long Beach, CA
Low Back Pain.
Grand Rounds, South Coast Medical Center
Posterior Cervical Surgery and Instrumentation.
AO North America, Chicago, IL
Laminoplasty in the North American Population.
University of California, Irvine, Graduate Research Forum
Modern Techniques in Spinal Surgery.
Western Orthopaedic Association
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis and Back Pain.
Grand Rounds, Kaiser Whittier Medical Center, Whittier, CA
Techniques in Posterior Cervical Fixation.
Current Concepts and Techniques for Spine Surgery Symposium, San Diego, CA
Modern Techniques in Spinal Surgery.
University of California, Irvine, Department of Biomechanical Engineering, BME 200
New Technologies in Spinal Surgery.
Neurosurgery Grand Rounds, University of California, Irvine
Diagnostic Techniques Used in Pediatric Back Pain.
University of California, Irvine, Graduate Research Forum
Adult Back Pain.
Grand Rounds, Lakewood Regional Medical Center
Spinal Cord Injury.
Seaspine Users Meeting
Posterior Cervical Laminoplasty.
Blackstone Instructional Meeting
Spinal Cord Injury Complications.
Grand Rounds, Torrance Memorial Medical Center
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis and Back Pain.
Grand Rounds, Kaiser Whittier Medical Center
Low Back Pain and the Primary Care Physician.
Low Back Pain and the Primary Care Physician.
New Technologies in Spine Surgery.
Neurosurgery Grand Rounds, University of California, Irvine
Posterior Cervical Surgery.
Symposium for Minimally Invasive and Posterior Cervical Surgery
Kartagener’s Syndrome in a Patient with Craniofacial Abnormalities.
Plastic Surgery Grand Rounds, Baylor College of Medicine
Posterior Minimally Invasive Approaches to the Cervical Spine.
Instructional Course Lecture, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, Annual Meeting, New Orleans
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