Professor
Email: pkiester@uci.edu
Dr. Kiester's CV
Dr. Kiester does major spinal reconstruction including spinal stenosis, scoliosis, tumors, complex revision surgery, and trauma. He is also an expert in microsurgery.
While Dr. Kiester has been on the forefront for developing new surgical devices and is a technical consultant to industry, he is very conservative and will often choose not to implant any device, if he feels that is what is best for the patient. Microsurgery is very effective in some cases, and in others it should be avoided. He is very excited by the new fusion technology has almost completely eliminated the need for taking bone graft. This eliminates a major source of pain for the patient. The use of plastic surgery-type closures eliminates the need for removing sutures or staples. One of the reasons he is in a University practice, is because he loves to teach, which includes teaching the patients how to best care for themselves, and simple, detailed discussions about any surgery.
Dr. Kiester has filed 4 patents in 2008. His research on how the lumbar spine (low back) rotates helps explain why the lumbar artificial disk replacements have had such poor results, and suggests how adult scoliosis is caused and progresses. His discovery of the mechanical cause of adolescent scoliosis promises to eventually (not for a few years yet) eliminate the need to fuse teenage spines for routine scoliosis. This model suggests that bracing in this type of scoliosis may do more harm than good. He has taught himself 5 different computer 3-D software programs over the past several years to better understand the fine points of spinal mechanics, improve spinal tools and technology, and assist in his research. As we better understand the spine, we will better be able to treat it.
Dr. Kiester received his undergraduate degree from the University of Utah and his medical doctorate degree from Indiana University. He completed his surgical internship at the University of Southern California and completed his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at Bronx-Lebanon Medical Center in New York City. Dr. Kiester did a fellowship at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s in Chicago in Spine Surgery. He did a one year fellowship in Pathokinesiology (biomechanics) at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital in Downey, California. He was also in the PhD program in Biophysics and Computing at the University of Utah when he entered medical school. He currently serves as a Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of California, Irvine.
Indiana University
Bronx-Lebanon Medical Center, New York CIty
Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago -- Spine Surgery
Rancho Los Amigos Hospital, Pathokinesiology -- Downey, California
Resident Faculty Teaching Award
American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
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P. Douglas Kiester, M.D.
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