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Revolutionizing Spine Care…Changing Lives

Stephen Tolhurst

Stephen Tolhurst

MD
  • Orthopedic Spine Surgery
3537 South Interstate 35 Suite 308 Denton, TX 76210 United States
4370 Medical Arts Drive, River Walk Building III, Suite 230 Flower Mound, TX 75028 United States
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Practicing Locations: Denton | Flower Mound

Specialty: Spine Surgery

Fellowship Training: Spinal Surgery

Certification: Certified – American Board of Orthopedic Surgery

Dr. Tolhurst Quote:

I treat every patient as though they were a member of my family. My goal is to return patients to the lifestyle they enjoyed before their pain began. I hold surgery as a last resort, and will do everything possible to achieve a great result for you.”

Stephen Tolhurst, MD, an orthopaedic spine surgeon, joined the Texas Back Institute team in 2012 from the Cleveland Clinic where he completed his fellowship in spine surgery. Dr. Tolhurst was part of a unique fellowship program which combined orthopaedic and neurosurgical spine surgery training as well as special training in spinal trauma. He attended medical school at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Michigan. Dr. Tolhurst treats the full spectrum of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spinal disorders, with a special interest in cervical conditions and minimally invasive treatment options. He is actively involved in research and has published multiple peer reviewed articles, book chapters on spinal topics, and developed novel implants for the minimally invasive treatment of spinal pathology. He has given several national presentations on his research and has served as Chairman of Surgery at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Flower Mound.

  • 2011-2012 Spine Surgery Fellowship, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio
  • 2006-2011 Orthopedic Residency Training Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • 2006 M.D., University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
  • 2001 B.A., University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
  • 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022 D Magazine Best Doctor
  • 2017, 2018, 2019 – Texas Monthly Super Doctor – Rising Star
  • 2020, 2021, 2022 – Texas Monthly Super Doctor
  • 2011 – OREF Fellowship Grant
  • 2006 – Franklin McLean Research Award for the most meritorious research in the medical field at the Pritzker School of Medicine
  • 2005 – Alpha Omega Alpha
  • 2005 – Calvin Fentress Research Fellowship Award – Pritzker School of Medicine
  • 2001-04 – Adolph Lange Scholarship, Pritzker School of Medicine
  • 2001 – Phi Beta Kappa
  1. Brady M, Tolhurst SR, Moore TA. Sacral spine and pelvis. In Patel V et al (eds): Spine Surgery Basics, 2014 Volume. ISBN 978-3642341250; 2013.
  2. Tolhurst SR, Bell GR. Thoracolumbar spine. In Ianotti JP et al (eds): The Netter Collection of Medical Illustrations, Volume 6, 2nd ed. ISBN 978-1-4160-6382-7; 2013.
  3. Tolhurst SR, Vanderhave KL, Caird MS, Garton HL, Maher CO, Graziano GP, Farley FA. Utility of advanced imaging in diagnosing cervical arterial injury following blunt cervical spine trauma in children and adolescents. Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 33:37-42; 2013.
  4. Julka A, Tolhurst SR, Srinivasan RC, Graziano GP. Functional outcomes and height restoration for patients with multiple myeloma related osteolytic vertebral compression fractures treated with kyphoplasty. Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques 27:342-6; 2014.
  5. Srinivasan RC, Tolhurst SR, Vanderhave K. Orthopaedics. In: Doherty GM (ed): Current Surgical Diagnosis and Treatment, ed. 13. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Medical, 2009, pp 1006-1091.
  6. Orvieto MA, Zorn KC, Lyon MB, Tolhurst SR, Rapp DE, Seip R, Sanghvi N, Shalhav A. High intensity focused ultrasound renal tissue ablation: a laparoscopic porcine model. Journal of Urology 181:861-6, 2009. (Name misspelled as Tohurst SR on manuscript)
  7. Lyon MB, Orvieto MA, Zorn KC, Tolhurst SR, Rapp DE, Mikhail AA, Brendler CB, Shalhav AL. Effect of renal warm ischemia in an acute versus chronic solitary kidney model. Urology 69:402-6, 2007
  8. Orvieto MA, Zorn KC, Lyon MB, Tolhurst SR, Rapp DE, Mikhail AA, Oras JJ, Son H, Kasza KE, Brendler CB, Shalhav AL. Laparoscopic ice slurry coolant for renal hypothermia. Journal of Urology 177:382-5, 2007.
  9. Rapp DE, Orvieto MA, Lyon MB, Tolhurst SR, Gerber GS, Steinberg GD. Urothelial hyperplasia causing recurrent obstruction following ureteral metal stent placement in the treatment of ureteroenteric anastomotic stricture. Journal of Endourology 20:910-2, 2006
  10. Tolhurst SR, Rapp DE, Lyon MB, Orvieto MA, Sokoloff MH, Shalhav AL. Post-operative changes mimicking the radiographic appearance of recurrent renal cell carcinoma. Urologia Internationalis 76:368-70, 2006.
  11. Mikhail AA, Tolhurst SR, Orvieto MA, Weiss RM, Kaplan ES, Shalhav AL. Open versus laparoscopic simultaneous bilateral adrenalectomy. Urology 67:693-6, 2006.
  12. Chien GW, Orvieto MA, Tolhurst SR, Shalhav AL, Harland RC. Case report: robotic assisted laparoscopic pyeloureterostomy in a transplant kidney with ureteral stricture. Journal of Endourology 20:31-2, 2006.
  13. Tolhurst SR and Lotan T, Rapp DE, Orvieto MA, Lyon MB, Gerber GS, Sokoloff MH. Well- differentiated papillary mesothelioma occurring in the tunica vaginalis of the testis with contralateral atypical mesothelial hyperplasia. Urologic Oncology 24:36-9, 2006.
  14. Orvieto MA, Chien GW, Steinberg GD, Tolhurst SR, Zagaja GP, Brendler CB, Shalhav AL. Simplifying laparoscopic partial nephrectomy: technical considerations for reproducible outcomes. Urology 66:976-80, 2005.
  15. Orvieto MA, Tolhurst SR, Chuang MS, Ritch CR, Lyon MB, Rapp DE, Shalhav AL. Defining maximum renal tolerance to warm ischemia in a porcine laparoscopic and open surgery model. Urology 66:1111-5, 2005.
  16. Tolhurst SR, Rapp DE, O’Connor RC, Lyon MB, Orvieto MA, Steinberg GD. Complications after cystectomy and urinary diversion in patients previously treated for localized prostate cancer. Urology 66:824-9, 2005.

Leaders in Advanced Spine Procedures

To find out whether you would benefit from artificial disc surgery, make an appointment to visit Texas Back Institute in the Dallas, TX, area for an evaluation. We always reserve surgery as a last resort, so we’ll seek to relieve pain first through conservative treatments such as physical therapy and pain management. If severe pain persists and it is determined that you would benefit from surgery, we can help you determine whether artificial disc replacement is right for you.

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