Michael A. Kropf, MD

"Michael A. Kropf, M.D. is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon at the Cedars-Sinai Spine Center and The Spine Institute in Santa Monica with over twenty years experience specializing in the treatment of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar disease. He is recognized as an expert in disc arthroplasty, scoliosis, deformity, minimally invasive artificial disc replacement and fusion surgery, as well as complex revision surgery. He is nationally known for the management and surgical treatment for spinal disease affecting achondroplastic dwarfs and other little people. Dr. Kropfs research on the diagnosis and treatment of spine conditions has led to more than a hundred published peer-reviewed articles and abstracts, and many presentations at national and international conferences. Research has included new technologies in biologic alternatives in bone metabolism, the use of stem cells in disc and nerve regeneration, clinical FDA trials for new and emerging spinal devices. Dr. Kropf is an active member of several professional societies including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, North American Spine Society, International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery, and the California Medical Association. He is the Principal investigator for several Investigational Device Exemption studies including PRODISC-Lumbar, PRODISC-Cervical, and NeoDisc-Cervical disc arthroplasty. He is also a Co-investigator on the AxioMed Freedom Lumbar Disc Study, and the minimally invasive interspinous process device, Coflex. Dr. Kropf graduated with a bachelor’s degree with honors in biomedical science from the University of California, Riverside (UCR). He earned his medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles where he also completed a general surgery internship. He subsequently completed an orthopaedic surgery residency at Harbor UCLA Medical Center and a fellowship in spinal surgery at UCLA under the direction of Dr. Edgar Dawson and Dr. Rick Delamarter. Presently, Dr. Kropf serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCLA School of Medicine’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and performs surgery at several Los Angeles hospitals including Cedars-Sinai. He has dedicated his practice to provide excellence in spine care for his patients. He is actively involved with the fellowship training of orthopaedic and neurologic surgeons on state of the art surgical techniques. His dozens of excellent students currently practice throughout the US. Dr. Kropf is one of the few trained and experienced in multi-level artificial disc replacement surgery for cervical and lumbar degenerative disc disease. He is recognized as an expert in the surgical treatment of scoliosis and spinal deformity.