Massachusetts General Hospital | Imaging

Biography

Dr. Hirsch earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. After completing an internship in medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital and a residency/fellowship in Radiology/Neuroradiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, he served as fellow in Interventional Neuroradiology at the Neurovascular Center of the Lahey Medical Center. He has worked on the staff at Lahey Clinic and then at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

In 2003 Dr. Hirsch joined the Massachusetts General Hospital and is the Director of Interventional Neuroradiology and Endovascular Neurosurgery. He is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. He is a senior member of the American Society of Neuroradiology and the American Society of Interventional&Therapeutic Neuroradiology.

Dr. Hirsch has extensive experience in the diagnosis, management and treatment of cerebrovascular disease. This includes the treatment of aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, dural arteriovenous fistulas, pre-operative embolization of tumors and treatment of head and neck lesions including epistaxis. Another part of the specialty is that of stroke prevention which includes carotid and vertebral artery angioplasty and stenting as well as acute stroke treatment with thrombolysis.

Considered expert in minimally invasive spine surgery Dr. Hirsch has lectured and instructed physicians in the vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty for the treatment of compression fractures. Dr. Hirsch also uses percutaneous nucleoplasty using the DeKompressor technique and the IDET procedure.

In his additional role as Associate Vice Chair of Interventional Care, Dr. Hirsch oversees all interventional services, unifying the previously separate interventional operations that span seven departmental divisions: Abdominal, Breast, Interventional Neuroradiology/Endovascular Surgery, Musculoskeletal, Neuroradiology, Thoracic&Vascular.

PublicationsCo-authored "A Critical Appraisal of 2007 American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) Practice Guidelines for Interventional Pain Management: An Independent Review Utilizing AGREE, AMA, IOM, and Other Criteria" (Pain Physician 2008; 11:291-310 - ISSN 1533-3159).

Co-authored "Review of Occupational Medicine Practice Guidelines for Interventional Pain Management and Potential Implications" (Pain Physician 2008; 11:3:271-289 - ISSN 1533-3159).

Minimally invasive procedure eases back pain

Nucleoplasty, a minimally invasive, image-guided treatment performed by Dr. Joshua Hirsch at Massachusetts General Hospital Imaging brought relief to a local woman suffering from herniated disc pain.

Joshua A. Hirsch, MD, elected president of Society of Neurointerventional Surgery

The SNIS is a national organization of physicians who have special expertise in treating such conditions as stroke, aneurysms, carotid stenosis and spinal abnormalities through minimally invasive procedures.

Neurointerventional surgery journal accepted into Medline

The Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery (JNIS) has been accepted for inclusion in the Medline bibliographic database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM).

Neuroradiology Post Graduate Course - Head and Neck Radiology

This intensive five-day course will review the acquisition and interpretation of structural and functional imaging studies of the brain, spine, and extra-cranial head and neck.

Neuroradiology Post Graduate Course - Head and Neck Radiology

The educational objective of this intensive five-day course is to provide a comprehensive review of basic and advanced principles in the management, acquisition and interpretation of structural and functional imaging studies of the brain, spine, and extra-cranial head and neck. This year’s highlights include symposia on pediatric neuroradiology, spinal disease, trauma, acute stroke and MR spectroscopy.