Professor Arun Ranganathan
MBBS, MRCS, PGDip (Orth Engin), DM, FRCS (TrandOrth)
Consultant Adult and Paediatric Spinal Surgeon
Introduction
Always adopting a considered, caring approach, Professor Arun Ranganathan is an outstanding spinal surgeon, who is widely regarded as one of the finest spinal surgeons in the UK and has operated on many international dignitaries, royal family members and professional sports people. He is often referred to as the surgeon’s surgeon, operating on other surgeons (including spine specialists) due to his excellent safety record, short recovery times and outstanding results.
A multi-award winner for his research work at an early stage of his career, he is an accomplished international speaker, author and teacher in his field and achieved a world first when appearing on national TV performing spinal surgery. He currently holds two prestigious honorary professorial roles, has used his expertise to introduce improvements to spinal surgery in Asia and is a firm advocate of the value of taking a holistic approach to the entire spectrum of spinal pathologies.
Specialist interests
Spinal surgery
Degenerative spinal conditions, spinal deformity, infections and cancers of the spine
About Professor Arun Ranganathan
Professor Ranganathan is, by nature, an analytical and conservative practitioner who specialises in minimal access and keyhole surgery because it offers the best chance of quick and effective recovery. His experience in all forms of adult and paediatric spinal deformity including osteotomies, complex spinal reconstructions and tumour surgery is second to none. A firm believer in the value of adopting a multi-disciplinary team approach and, with this ethos in mind, he established London Spine Care, a collective of the best surgeons, physiotherapists, osteopaths and pain experts to deliver holistic care for all spinal problems. In April 2019, he carried out spine straightening scoliosis surgery on Operation Live, a Channel 5 programme, nominated for a BAFTA in the category best live event in June 2020. This live surgery was a world first and is now used to inform and educate patients about the surgery itself.
His exceptional talent was recognised at the relatively young age for a complex spinal surgeon, when, at 35, he was selected to set up the paediatric service and the new adult spinal service at Bart’s Health NHS Trust.
His surgical training was carried out at the renowned centres in Nottingham, London, Leeds and Newcastle. Following his training, he was selected for the prestigious adult and paediatric spinal fellowships in both orthopaedic surgery and neurosurgery of the spine under leading global spinal consultants, Dr Stephen Lewis and Professor Michael Fehlings, on the highly regarded AO North America Advanced Spine fellowship from Krembil Neurosciences Centre and Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. University of Toronto and at the Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto.
Research work at the Sir Peter Mansfield Centre was rewarded with a doctorate degree in spinal surgery from the University of Nottingham in 2008. In both 2004 and 2009, he again displayed his appetite and talent for research, becoming the youngest winner of the ISSLS (formerly Volvo) prize for the best spinal research work worldwide. 2004 also saw him win the Britspine Award for Best Spinal Research in UK, with 2009 seeing him earn the Spine Society of Australia award for best international research work.
He is one of only a handful of UK spinal surgeons to be in receipt of a National Institute of Health Sciences Research (NIHR) Grant and worked as chief investigator of PRESTO (Pragmatic Randomised Evaluation of Stable Thoracolumbar fracture treatment Outcomes) a multi-centre national trial looking into the treatment of thoracolumbar spine fractures.
Professor Ranganathan works extensively with a number of charities and countries, providing his surgical services and helping develop the surgical skills and adoption of new technology. He often combines bringing the latest developments and technology with his charity work to leave a legacy in the countries he visits. This includes his work to train the surgeons of the future in these countries and giving them the confidence to tackle some of the more difficult surgical cases that would otherwise not be undertaken. He has performed surgery across much of India, Vietnam, Nepal and other parts of South East Asia and is a sought-after speaker and teacher at spine conferences globally.
Like many others, he has a very active mind and is constantly working to improve the care that he gives and the techniques and technology we adopt to deliver the care. With this in mind, he is involved in virtual and augmented reality device development, robotics and navigation as well as new implants and instrumentation, as he strives to achieve the best possible outcome for not only his, but all patients in the future.
Health and fitness play a big part in Professor Ranganathan’s leisure time. He is a former national standard tennis player, marathon runner, enjoys strength & conditioning and is an accomplished mountaineer tackling some of the world’s highest peaks.
Reviews
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Patient stories
Holly, now 26, was diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis of the spine at 14. She is delighted with the results of her scoliosis correction, which she chose Prof Arun Ranganathan to perform.
Spinal fusion surgery with Prof Arun Ranganathan was life changing for Jan, a 53-year old vet, who needed surgery following a fall down the stairs.
Active horse rider Jane, 57, is pain free for the first time in years 3 weeks after minimally invasive surgery for grade 2 spondylolisthesis plus severe stenosis with Prof Arun Ranganathan
Videos
Prof Arun Ranganathan speaking on Sky Sports
Operation Live
Gallery
Contact
To book an appointment or to talk to Professor Ranganathan’s team:
Professor Arun Ranganathan:
Locations
Professor Arun Ranganathan can see patients at the following locations:
Professional background
Professor Arun Ranganathan
MBBS, MRCS, PGDip (Orth Engin), DM, FRCS (TrandOrth)
Consultant Adult and Paediatric Spinal Surgeon
Expert reviewer for several international journals including Spine.
(Pubmed Author search ID : Arun R [au] / Ranganathan A[au] )
Reliability of Quantitative MRI Methods in the Assessment of Spinal Canal Stenosis and Cord Compression in Cervical Myelopathy
Karpova A, Ranganathan A, Davis AM, Kulkarni AV, Mikulis DJ, Sooyong C, Rabin D, Craciunas S, Smith SR, Hansen MA, George J, Fehlings MG.
Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2012 Jul 4. [Epub ahead of print]
New treatments and imaging strategies in degenerative disease of the intervertebral disks.
Lotz JC, Haughton V, Boden SD, An HS, Kang JD, Masuda K, Freemont A, Berven S, Sengupta DK, Tanenbaum L, Maurer P, Ranganathan A, Alavi A, Marinelli NL. Radiology. 2012 Jul;264(1):6-19.
ISSLS Prize Winner 2009 : What is the effect of a sustained Load on Diffusion of Solutes in Human Intervertebral Discs ?
Lead article in Spine (Phila Pa 1976) Vol 34(21), Oct 1 2009, pp 2324 – 2337.
PMID: 19755934
R Arun, BJC Freeman, BE Scammell, DS McNally, P Gowland. (Impact Factor 2.676)
ISSLS Prize Winner 2004: A Study of Diffusion in Human Lumbar Discs: A Serial Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study Documenting the Effect of Endplate on Diffusion in Normal and Degenerate Discs.
S. Rajasekaran, JN Babu, R Arun, AP Shetty, S Murugan.
Spine (Phila Pa 1976), Number 23,Dec.1, 2004, pp 2654-2667. PMID: 15564914 (Impact Citation Factor 2.676)
Scoliosis in Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy: a changing trend in surgical management. A historical surgical outcome study comparing sublaminar, hybrid and pedicle screw instrumentation systems.
R Arun, S Srinivas, SMH Mehdian.
Eur Spine J. 2010 Mar;19(3):376-83. Epub 2009 Sep 17. PMID: 19760271
Scoliosis in Association with Infantile Hypophospahtasia – A rare case study in two siblings. Review article.
R Arun, R Khazim, JK Webb, J Burn.
Spine (Phila Pa 1976), Vol.30, Aug 15, 2005. PMID: 16103841 (Impact Factor 2.676)
A New Technique for Reduction of High Grade Isthmic Spondylolisthesis.
SMH Mehdian, R Arun, Alwyn Jones, AA Cole
Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2005 Oct 1;30(19):E579-84. Review.
PMID: 16205332 (Impact Factor 2.3)
Do Anterior interbody Cages have a potential value in the surgical management of Scheuermann’s Kyphosis?
R Arun, SMH Mehdian, BJC Freeman, SC Daivajina
SPINE J. 2006 Jul-Aug; 6 (4):413-20. PMID: 16825049
Multilevel vertebral osteomyelitis and facet joint infection following epidural catheterisation.
R Arun, Al-Nammari SS, Mehdian SM.
Acta Orthop Belg. 2007 Oct; 73(5):665-9. PMID: 18019927
Spontaneous kyphotic collapse followed by autostabilisation secondary to cervical osteomyelitis in an intravenous drug abuser.
R Arun , Kasbekar AV, Mehdian SM.
Acta Orthop Belg. 2007 Dec; 73(6):807-11. PMID: 18260500
A New Three Stage Spinal Shortening Procedure For Reduction of Severe Adolescent Isthmic Spondylolisthesis – a case series with medium to long term follow-up.
S H Mehdian, R Arun
Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2011 Feb 25. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 21358576
A Safe Controlled Instrumented Reduction Technique for Cervical Osteotomy in Ankylosing Spondylitis – a 16 year experience.
S H Mehdian, R Arun
Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2011 Apr 20;36(9):715-20. PMID: 21289582
Comparison of Three Types of Lumbar Osteotomy for Ankylosing Spondylitis – a case series and evolution of a safe technique for instrumented reduction
R Arun, HV Dabke, SH Mehdian
Eur Spine J. 2011 Dec; 20(12):2252-60. Epub 2011 Jul 29. PMID: 21800034
Two rare causes of Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
R Arun, S Rajasekaran – Journal Of TNOA – Vol 29,2003 pp 96-97.
A Study of Diffusion in Human Lumbar Intervertebral Discs – an MRI evaluation in normal volunteers and low-back ache patients.
R Arun, S Rajasekaran – Journal Of TNOA – Vol 29,2003, pp75-83.
A Study of Diffusion in Human Lumbar Intervertebral Discs – an MRI evaluation in normal volunteers and low-back ache patients.
R Arun, S Rajasekaran – Journal Of TNOA – Vol 29,2003, pp75-83.
Fate of Bone Grafts in Cervical fusion without Instrumentation –
R Arun, Rajasekaran S
Journal of Tamil Nadu Orthopaedic Association Vol-28, 2002
Abstracts
Hamstring Graft Harvest In Arthroscopic ACL Reconstruction: A New Approach
Haddo, R Arun, C Chauhan – Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery – British. Vol 87-B, Issue SUPP II, 147-148.
The Normal Diffusion Pattern Of Human Lumbar Intervetebral Discs –
A Ranganathan, Rajasekaran S, Naresh Babu, AP Shetty – Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery – British Volume, Orthopaedic Proceedings Vol 87-B, Issue SUPP III, 235.
A Study of Diffusion in Human Lumbar Discs- a serial post contrast MRI study documenting the effect of Endplate on diffusion of solutes – ISSLS abstract book, 2004 and World Spine Society Abstracts, 2005.
Comparison of Autogenous Rib Graft to Interbody Cages in the Surgical Management of Scheuermann’s disease.
R Arun, SC Daivajna, SMH Mehdian, CI Adams. – World Spine Society Abstracts, 2005.
Problems in the Surgical Management of Candidial Osteomyelitis secondary to Esophageal Perforation.
R Arun, SMH Mehdian. – European Spine Journal, Volume 14, Supplement 1, Sept 2005.
Radiological and Functional Outcome of Cervical fusion without Instrumentation
R Arun – European Spine Journal, Volume 14, Supplement 1,Sept 2005.
Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy: a long term Outcome analysis of different instrumentation systems.
Arun R, SC Daivajna, SMH Mehdian, A Jones – European Spine Journal, Volume 14, Supplement 1,Sept 2005.
Haemo-dynamic Stability following Low Dose Combined Spinal Epidural Anaesthesia Old Age Geriatric Patients undergoing Lower Limb Orthopaedic Surgery.
Maheshwari S, R Arun, Balavenkat
Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists Annual Meet Abstracts, Dec. 2002.
The Efficacy of Brachial Plexus Blocks in Upper Limb Orthopaedic Surgery
Maheshwari S, R Arun, Balavenkat J
Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists Annual Meet Abstracts, Dec. 2002.
Functional and Radiological Outcome of Cervical Fusion without Bone Grafting-
R Arun, S Rajasekaran, AP Shetty
Indian Orthopaedic Association abstracts, 2001
Current Papers under submission
Thalamic Pain Syndrome – a rare cause for residual radicular pain following cervical disc arthroplasty
S Lakkol, R Arun, G Reddy, T Friesem – submitted to J Neurosurgery Spine.
Invited Book Review on ‘The Craniovertebral Junction : Diagnosis-Pathology-Surgical Techniques’ – R Arun , MG Fehlings.
Fusion Mass Screws in correction of complex kyphoscoliotic deformities. SJ Lewis, R Arun, A Dold (Submitted to SPINE J)
Assessment of Spinal Cord Compression by Magnetic Resonance Imaging – Can it predict surgical outcome in cervical spondylotic myelopathy?: A Systematic Review.
A Karpova, R Arun, DW Cadotte, AM Davis, AV Kulkarni (SPINE J – 2nd Revision)
Predictors of Treatment Outcomes in Geriatric Patients with Odontoid Fractures:
AOSpine North America Multi-centre Prospective GOF Study
MG Fehlings, R Arun, A Vaccaro Paul Arnold , Jens Chapman , Branko Kopjar (accepted in SPINE J subject to minor revisions)
Predictors of Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy.
A Karpova, R Arun, AM Davis, AV Kulkarni, EM Massicotte, DJ Mikulis,
MG Fehlings ( SPINE J – 2nd revision)
Professor Arun Ranganathan is one of United Kingdom’s leading spinal surgeons. He was appointed a young consultant at the age of 35 in Barts Health NHS Trust, having completed 3 spinal fellowships and surgical training in London, Leeds, Newcastle and Toronto. He was recently featured on Channel 5’s ‘Operation Live’ to perform Spine Straightening Scoliosis surgery live for the first time ever in the world on live national television.
He is dually certified in Orthopaedic and Neurosurgery Spine. He completed the prestigious AO North America Advanced Spine fellowship from Krembil Neurosciences Centre and Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada under world-renowned spinal surgeons Prof Fehlings and Dr. Stephen Lewis.
He has been awarded a doctorate degree in the field of spinal surgery for research work undertaken in Sir Peter Mansfield ( Nobel Prize winner) Centre by the University of Nottingham. He has the rare distinction of being the youngest winner of the ISSLS( Volvo) prize for the best spinal research work in the world in 2004 and 2009. He is also the recipient of the Spine Society Of Australia award for best international research work in 2009 and the Britspine Award in 2004. He is an Honorary Professor of Orthopaedic and spine surgery in Chirayu Medical College, Bhopal University, India and also works as Honorary Professor at Bach Mai University Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam which is the largest multispeciality teaching hospital in Vietnam.
He has the rare distinction to be one of the few spinal surgeons in the UK to be awarded a National Institute of Health Sciences Research (NIHR) Grant and is the chief investigator of ‘PRESTO’ a multicentre national trial on Thoraco-Lumbar Spine fractures. He has several publications in international peer-reviewed journals.
He has operated in several Asian countries, doing charity work and introducing new technologies to countries such as Vietnam, Nepal, India and Southeast Asia. He is an invited guest speaker in several national and international meetings and also conducts courses to train junior consultants across the world.
Although he is very conservative and analytical in his approach, if surgery is required he specialises in Minimal Access and Keyhole surgery which facilitates early recovery and return to normality. He has extensive expertise in all forms of adult and paediatric spinal deformity including osteotomies, complex spinal reconstructions and tumour surgery. Professor Ranganathan’s practice believes in a multi-disciplinary team approach and he set up London Spine Care to amalgamate a group of well-reputed surgeons, physiotherapists, osteopaths and pain specialists to provide a holistic approach to all spinal pathologies.
He enjoys fitness activities and is a keen runner, ex-national-level tennis player and a mountaineer.
Education
FRCS (Tr&Orth), Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (2011)
DM (Orthopaedics), University of Nottingham (2008)
PGDip (Orth Engin), Cardiff University (2008)
MRCS, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (2004)
Speciality
Spinal Surgery
Professional Experience
More than 15 years of experience
Consultant Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon, The Spine Surgery London (present)
Consultant Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon, The Holly House Private Hospital (present)
Consultant Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon, The London Clinic (present)
Consultant Spine and Orthopaedic Surgeon, St Bartholomew’s Hospital London (present)
Consultant Spine and Orthopaedic Surgeon, The Royal London Hospital (present)
Special Interests
Degenerative spinal conditions, spinal deformity, infections and cancers of the Spine
Positions in Public Associations
Invited guest speaker at several international meetings
Expert reviewer for several international journals including Spine
Honors and Awards
Awarded doctorate degree for research in the field of spinal surgery conducted in Sir Peter Mansfield (Nobel Prize winner) MR centre, University of Nottingham
Received ISSLS (formerly Volvo) award for Best Spinal Research Work in the Intervertebral Disc Physiology (2004, 2009)
Received Britspine International Award for Best International Spinal Research Work (2004)
Received Spine Society of Australia Award for Best International Spinal Research Work (2009)
What influence does a sustained load have on diffusion of small solutes in the human intervertebral discs?
R Arun, BJC Freeman, BE Scammell, DS McNally, P Gowland
ISSLS Award Presentation, ISSLS 2009 Meeting, Miami, Florida, May 2009
The influence of a sustained load on diffusion in the human intervertebral discs
R Arun, BJC Freeman, BE Scammell, DS McNally, P Gowland
Spine Society of Australia Meeting, April 2009 Brisbane, Australia
Reduction of High Grade Adolescent Isthmic Spondylolisthesis using a three stage shortening procedure
SMH Mehdian, R Arun, NS Harsha, BJC Freeman
Scoliosis Research Society – IMAST Meeting, Vienna, Austria – April 2009
Cervico-Thoracic Osteotomy For Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Prospective Clinico- Radiological Analysis
Hossein S Mehdian, R Arun, N S Harshavardhana , B J C Freeman
Scoliosis Research Society – IMAST Meeting, Vienna, Austria – April 2009
Reduction Of High Grade Isthmic Spondylolisthesis using a three stage shortening technique- a case series
SMH Mehdian, R Arun, NS Harsha, BJC Freeman (presented by Mr Grevitt)
Global Spine Congress, San Francisco, June 2009
The Effect of IDET on the Human Intervertebral Discs : A study of the alteration of collagen structure of the disc using Scanning Acoustic, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Microscopy
R Arun, MP Grevitt, BJC Freeman, DS McNally, W Kockenberger
Britspine International 2006, April 2006, Cardiff
Do Anterior Interbody cages have a role in Surgery for Scheuermann’s Kyphosis?
R Arun, SMH Mehdian, BJC Freeman, SC Daivajna
Britspine International 2006, April 2006 Cardiff
Cord monitoring and pulmonary function in scoliosis surgery for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Lee Breakwell, R Arun, D Fagan, P Kiely, J Davenport, K Bowyer, SMH Mehdian IMAST 2006 Athens
Radiological and Functional Outcome of Cervical Fusion without Instrumentation –
R Arun
Eurospine 2005, Barcelona, Spain.
Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy: a long term Outcome Analysis of Different Instrumentation Constructs –
R Arun, SC Daivajna, SMH Mehdian, A Jones.
Eurospine 2005, Barcelona, Spain.
Comparison of Autogenous Interbody Rib Graft to Anterior Interbody Cages in the Surgical Management of Scheurmann ́s kyphosis –
R Arun, SC Daivajana, CI Adams, SMH Mehdian
World Spine Conference, Rio De Janerio, Brazil, August 2005.
Problems in the Surgical Management of Candidial Vertebral Osteomyelitis Secondary to Oesophageal Perforation –
R Arun, SMH Mehdian.
EuroSpine 2005, Barcelona, Spain.
A Study of Diffusion in Human Lumbar Discs-A Serial MRI study documenting the influence of the endplate on diffusion in normal and degenerate discs –
Rajasekaran S, Naresh JB, R Arun, , Shetty AP, Murugan S
BEST PAPER, International Society for Study of Lumbar Spine, Spineweek, Portugal.
Normal Diffusion Pattern in Human Lumbar Intervertebral Discs –
R Arun, Rajasekaran S
BEST PAPER, Britspine2004 International Meeting, April, Nottingham.
NATIONAL MEETINGS
Hamstring Graft Harvest in ACL Reconstruction: a new approach –
R Arun, Haddo O, Chauhan C
British Association for Surgery of the Knee conference, Basingstoke, April 2004
Scoliosis in Association with Infantile Hypophophatasia – a rare case study in two siblings.
R Arun, R Khazim, JK Webb
British Orthopaedic Association Conference, Birmingham, 2005.
LOCAL MEETINGS
The effect of load Induced flow on diffusion of solutes in Human IVD
R Arun
Kriebich Prize Presentation, Newcastle, 2008.
Solute Transport Study in Human Intervertebral Discs.
R Arun
Kriebich Prize Presentation, Newcastle, 2007.
Diffusion of Small Solutes in Human Intervertebral Discs – an MRI study. John Fitton Prize Presentation, Leeds, 2005.
A diffusion model of the Human Intervertebral Disc – Convectual Flow or Diffusion ? — R Arun
East Midlands Orthopaedic Meeting, Nottingham, Nov., 2004
Management of Cartilage Defects in Young Adult Knees –
R Arun, C Chauhan
East Anglia Orthopaedic Meeting, Dec.2003, Southend on Sea, Essex.
Fate of Bone Grafts in Cervical fusion – “Prof.C.Vyageswaradu gold medal presentation”- R Arun, Rajasekaran S
Tamil Nadu Orthopaedics Association Annual Conference, Dec. 2001,Coimbatore.
Diffusion of solutes in the intervertrebral discs ”– an MRI study – R Arun, Rajasekaran S
Tamil Nadu Orthopaedics Association, Feb., Kodaikanal, 2003.
Spinal Arachnoid cyst– 4 cases of rare presentation.
R Arun, Rajasekaran S:
Coimbatore Orthopaedic Association meeting May 2001
Haemangioendothelioma – distal end of Radius – A rare case report R Arun, Rajasekaran S:
Coimbatore Orthopaedic Association meeting, June 2000.
Chondral Tumour of Calcaneum– A rare case report
R Arun, Rajasekaran S
Coimbatore Orthopaedic Association meeting August 2001
Posterior buttress plating for Coronal Split Tibial Condyle fractures
R Arun, Rajasekaran S
Coimbatore Orthopaedic Association meeting Nov.2001
