Jason B. Anari, MD

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Jason B. Anari, MD, is a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon, specializing in the treatment of spine disorders in children, with the Division of Orthopaedics at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Areas of Expertise: Early onset scoliosis treatment including VEPTR and magnetic growing rods, Adolescent idiopathic & infantile scoliosis, Chest wall deformities, Pediatric trauma
Locations: Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care; Specialty Care & Surgery Center, Bucks County; Specialty Care, Princeton at Plainsboro

Appointments, Referrals and Video Visits: 215-590-1527

Background

Jason B. Anari, MD, is a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in the treatment of spine and chest wall disorders in children. He fell in love with the musculoskeletal system and the puzzles related to fixing fractures and correcting deformity. "While in medical school I observed a scoliosis operation and saw firsthand what goes into caring for children with spinal deformity" recalls Anari. It was there he gained a deep appreciation for how a successful scoliosis correction can benefit patients and their families. He knew then what he wanted to spend the rest of his life practicing.

Meet Your Doctor

Jason Anari, MD

This video features pediatric orthopedic surgeon Jason Anari, MD, who specializes in spine disorders in children.


He graduated Magna Cum Laude from The College of New Jersey, followed by medical school at Robert Wood Johnson/Rutgers before arriving at The University of Pennsylvania for his Orthopaedic Residency. He completed his fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Anari was trained in pediatric chest wall techniques by the late Robert Campbell, MD — his mentor, friend and world-renowned pediatric orthopaedic surgeon.

He is particularly interested in pediatric chest wall and spinal deformity, because the relationship a pediatric orthopaedist creates with a family with early onset scoliosis or thoracic insufficiency syndrome is special. “You get to take part of the development of the child, watching them grow (literally) as they age,” he says. He finds great satisfaction in helping children with chest wall deformities get off the ventilator through surgical intervention. That is a milestone he celebrates with the family because of the work, time and commitment they put into recovery.

"Pediatric orthopaedic spine surgery is a very exciting field as lots of research is currently underway." Dr. Anari goes on to say, that some of the biggest gains in the last 20 years deal with how spinal deformity is managed in children under the age of 10 – a particular interest of his. "Historically, fusion surgery was performed in young children to prevent the curves from progressing. Now, we have new technology to allow for spine and chest wall growth, which promotes lung development and helps control spinal deformity into adolescence and adulthood."

Dr. Anari spends most of his days trying to keep children out of the operating room. He gets excited about new technology and research that enables him to better manage a patient's underlying pathology, or disease, while ultimately allowing a child to be a child.

His current research projects include understanding how children respond overall to chest wall surgery in thoracic insufficiency (TIS). He's working to identify which patients with early-onset scoliosis are at risk for unplanned surgery in an attempt to limit anesthesia exposure to the developing brain. Part of Dr. Anari's research also focuses on pediatric lower extremity fractures detailing the change in practice patterns over the past few decades. Another passion of his is adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Currently, he is working on the development of a classification system to evaluate radiographic outcomes following spinal fusion surgery in the modern era.

Dr. Anari has presented at the International Congress on Early Onset Scoliosis (ICEOS), Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA), and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

Education and Training

Medical School

MD - Robert Wood Johnson New Brunswick/Rutgers Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ

Internship

General and Orthopaedic Surgery - Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Residency

Orthopaedic Surgery - Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Fellowship

Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery - The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Titles and Academic Titles

Orthopaedic Surgeon

Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Conditions Treated

Departments and Services

Publications

Papers

2023

Tong, Yubing PhD; Udupa, Jayaram K. PhD; McDonough, Joseph M. MS; Wu, Caiyun MS; Sun, Changjian PhD; Xie, Lipeng MS; Lott, Carina MS; Clark, Abigail ME; Mayer, Oscar H. MD; Anari, Jason B. MD; Torigian, Drew A. MD, MA; Cahill, Patrick J. MD. Assessment of Regional Functional Effects of Surgical Treatment in Thoracic Insufficiency Syndrome via Dynamic Magnetic Resonance Imaging. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 105(1):p 53-62, January 4, 2023. | DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.22.00324.

Roye, B.D., Fano, A.N., Quan, T. et al. Modified Clavien–Dindo-Sink system is reliable for classifying complications following surgical treatment of early-onset scoliosis. Spine Deform 11, 205–212 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43390-022-00573-x.

Strong, A., Behr, M., Lott, C. et al. Molecular diagnosis and novel genes and phenotypes in a pediatric thoracic insufficiency cohort. Sci Rep 13, 991 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-27641-0.

Yusuf Akhtar, Jayaram K. Udupa, Yubing Tong, Tiange Liu, Caiyun Wu, Dewey Odhner, Joseph M. McDonough, Carina Lott, Abbie Clark, Jason B. Anari, Patrick Cahill, Drew A. Torigian, "Auto-segmentation of thoraco-abdominal organs in free breathing pediatric dynamic MRI," Proc. SPIE 12466, Medical Imaging 2023: Image-Guided Procedures, Robotic Interventions, and Modeling, 124660T (3 April 2023).

Quan T, Matsumoto H, Bonsignore-Opp L, Ramo B, Murphy RF, Brooks JT, Welborn MC, Emans JB, Anari JB, Johnston CE, Akbarnia BA, McCarthy R, Flynn J, Sawyer JR, Vitale MG, Roye BD; Pediatric Spine Study Group. Definition of Tweener: Consensus Among Experts in Treating Early-onset Scoliosis. J Pediatr Orthop. 2023 Mar 1;43(3):e215-e222. doi: 10.1097/BPO.0000000000002321. Epub 2022 Dec 12. PMID: 36729774.

Heyer, J.H., Anari, J.B., Baldwin, K.D. et al. Rib-to-spine and rib-to-pelvis magnetically controlled growing rods: does the law of diminishing returns still apply? Spine Deform (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43390-023-00718-6.

Ashwin Madhan, Yuyang Chu, Jason Anari, Michael Carter, Jessica Heyer, Arianna Trionfo, Jordan Manning, Amir Misaghi, Dallyn Udall, & Neeraj Patel. (2023). Changes in Management Based on X-rays After Pinning of Supracondylar Humerus Fractures: Rare, but More Common in Complex Injuries. Journal of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.55275/JPOSNA-2023-690.

Johnson, M.A., Lott, C., Clark, A.J. et al. Changes in research quality and surgical trends at the international congress on early-onset scoliosis. Spine Deform 11, 707–713 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43390-023-00643-8.

2022

Heyer JH, Anari JB, Baldwin KD, Stuart SL, Luhmann SJ, Sturm PF, Flynn JM, Cahill PJ, Pediatric Spine Study Group (PSSG). Lengthening behavior of magnetically controlled growing rods in early onset scoliosis: a multicenter study. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2022; Online ahead of print.

Roye BD, Fano AN, Quan T, Matsumoto H, Garg S, Heffernan MJ, Poon SC, Glotzbecker MP, Fletcher ND, Sturm PF, Ramirez N, Vitale MG, Anari JB, Pediatric Spine Study Group (PSSG). Modified Clavien-Dindo-Sink system is reliable for classifying complications following surgical treatment of early-onset-scoliosis. Spine Deform 2022; Online ahead of print.

Murphy RF, Neel GB, Barfield WR, Anari JB, St Hilaire T, Thompson G, Emans J, Akbarnia B, Smith J, Mooney JF 3rd, Pediatric Spine Study Group (PSSG). Trends in the utilization of implants in index procedures for early onset scoliosis from the pediatric spine study group. J Pediatr Orthop. 2022; Epub ahead or print.

Tong Y, Udupa JK, Wu C, McDonough JM, Mayer H, Sun C, Xie L, Anari JB, Cahill PJ, Torigian DA. Assessment of regional functional effects of surgical treatment in Thoracic Insufficiency Syndrome via dynamic magnetic resonance imaging. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2022; Epub ahead of print.

Heyer JH, Mitchell S, Baldwin KB, Cahill PJ, Flynn JM, Greenhill DJ, Anari JB. Preoperative MRI reliably predicts pedicle dimensions on intraoperative CT images in structural main thoracic curves in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Spine. 2022; Online ahead of print.

Matsumoto H, Rinha R, Roye BD, Ball JR, Skaggs KF, Brooks JT, Welborn MC, Emans JB, Anari JB, Johnston CE, Akbarnia BA, Vitale MG, Murphy RT, Pediatric Spine Study Group (PSSG). Contraindications to magnetically controlled growing rods: consensus among experts treating early onset scoliosis. Spine Deform 2022; Online ahead of print.

Johnson MA, Lott C, Kennedy BC, Heuer GG, Cahill PJ, Anari JB. Risk of ventriculoperitoneal shunt malfunction in operatively treated early onset spinal deformity. Spine Deform 2022; Online ahead of print.

Johnson MA, Lott C, Clark AJ, Anari JB, Cahill PJ. Weight gain and gastrostomy tube safety during serial body csting for early onset scoliosis. Spine Deform 2022; Online ahead of print.

Hao Y, Udupa JK, Tong Y, Wu C, McDonough JM, Lott C, Anari JB, Cahill PJ, Torigian DA. Regional diaphragm motion analysis via dynamic MRI. Proc. SPIE 120313F. 2022; doi: 10.1117/12.2611951.

Johnson MA, Gohel S, Flynn JM, Anari JB, Cahill PJ, Winell JJ, Baldwin KD. “Will I need a brace?”: likelihood of curve progression to bracing range in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Spine Deform 2022; 10(3): 535-542.

Heyer JH, Anari JB, Baldwin KD, Arkader A. Standardizing a postoperative protocol for supracondylar humerus fractures. J Pediatr Ortho 2022; 42(2): e103-e108.

Guzek RH, Murphy R, Hardesty CK, Emans JB, Smith JT, Roye BD, Glotzbecker MP, Sturm PF, Synder BD, Poon SC, Poe-Kochert C, Anari JB, Pediatric Spine Study Group. Mortality in early onset scoliosis during the growth friendly surgical era. J Pediatr Ortho. 2022; 42(3):131-137.

Kalmar CL, Zapatero ZD, Lott C, Kosyk MS, Cahill PJ, Swanson JW, Anari JB, Taylor JA. Surgical and non-surgical factors associated with salvaging exposed VEPTR hardware. Plast Reconstr Surg. (2022). 149(3):485e-495e.

Mulvey H, Johnson MA, Parambath A, Shah AS, Anari JB. Study groups and POSNA: A Review of Podium Presentations from 2006 to 2020. J Pediatr Orthop. 2022; 41(1): 53-58.

Meltzer-Bruhn AT, Landrum MR, Spiegel DA, Cahill PJ, Anari JB, Baldwin KD. Does nutrition consultation in the year leading up to neuromuscular scoliosis surgery result in significant weight gain, or just a larger magnitude curve? Spine Deform. 2022; 10(1): 151-158.

Tong Y, Udupa JK, Hao Y, Xie L, McDonough JM, Wu C, Lott C, Clark A, Anari JB, Torgian D, Cahill PJ. QdMRI: A system for comprehensive analysis of thoracic dynamics via dynamic MRI. Proc. SPIE 12034. 2022; doi: 10.1117/12.2612117.

Xie L, Udupa JK, Tong Y, McDonough JM, Wu C, Lott C, Anari JB, Cahill PJ, Torigan D. Automatic lung segmentation in dynamic thoracic MRI using two-stage deep convolutional neural networks. Proc. SPIE 120312. 2022; doi: 10.1117/12.2612558.

Baldwin KD, Kadiyala M, Talwar D, Sankar WN, Flynn JM, Anari JB. Does intraoperative CT navigation increase the accuracy of pedicle screw placement in pediatric spine deformity surgery? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Spine Deform. 2022; 10(1): 19-29.

2021

Johnson MA, Flynn JM, Anari JB, Gohel S, Cahill PJ, Winell JJ, Baldwin KD. Risk of scoliosis progression in nonoperatively treated adolescent idiopathic scoliosis based on skeletal maturity. J Pediatr Ortho 2021; 41(9): 543-548.

Magee L, Bram JT, Anari JB, Ramo B, Mayer OH, Matsumoto H, Brooks JT, Andras L, Lark R, Fitzgerald R, Troung W, Li Y, Karlin L, Weinstein S, Roye D, Snyder B, Flynn JM, Oetgen M, Smith J, Cahill PJ, Pediatric Spine Study Group (PSSG). Outcomes and complications in management of congenital myopathy early onset scoliosis. J Pediatr Ortho 2021; 41(2): 531-536.

Shin M, Arguelles GR, Cahill PJ, Flynn JM, Baldwin KD, Anari JB. Complications, reoperations, and mid-term outcomes following anterior vertebral body tethering versus posterior spinal fusion: a meta-analysis. JBJS Open Access. 2021; 6(2):e21.00002.

Johnson MA, Lott C, Qui C, Galagedera N, Flynn JM, Cahill PJ, Anari JB. Rib-based distraction device implantation before age 3 associated with higher unplanned rate of return to the operating room. J Pediatr Ortho. 2021; 41(6):e369-e373.

Hao Y, Udupa JK, Tong Y, Wu C, Li H, McDonough JM, Lott C, Qiu C, Galagedera N, Anari JB, Torigian DA, Cahill PJ. OFx: A method of 4D image construction from free breathing non-gated MRI slice acquisitions of the thorax via optical flux. Medical Imaging Analysis 2021; 72:102088.

Johnson MA, Mulvey H, Parambath A, Anari JB, Wall LB, Shah AS. A gender gap in publishing? understanding the glass ceiling in pediatric orthopaedic surgery. J Pediatr Orthop. 2021 Epub ahead of print.

Pasha S, Ho V, Baldwin K, Anari J, Francavilla M. 3D classification of the right thoracic scoliotic spine by using only two view spinal radiographs: a validation study. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2021; 28:280-287.

Karkenny AJ, Magee LC, Landrum MR, Anari JB, Spiegel DA, Baldwin KD. The variability of pelvic obliquity measurements in patients with neuromuscular scoliosis. J Bone Joint Surg Am Open Access. 2021; 6(1):e20.00143.

Hao Y, Udupa JK, Tong Y, Wu C, Li H, McDonough JM, Lott C, Anari JB, Torigian DA, Cahill PJ. Estimation of the dynamic volume of each lung via rapid limited-slice dynamic MRI. SPIE Medical Imaging. 2021; Online only.

Yellin J, Neuwirth AL, Anari JB, Fabricant P, Ganley TJ, Chauvin N, Lawrence TJ. Increased Glenoid Index as a Risk Factor for Pediatric and Adolescent Glenohumeral Dislocation: An MRI Based Case-Control Study. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. 2021; 9(3):2325967120986139.

Tong Y, Udupa JK, McDonough JM, Wu C, Sun C, Qiu C, Lott C, Galagedera N, Anari JB, Mayer OH, Torigian DA, Cahill PJ. Thoracic quantitative dynamic MRI to understand developmental changes in normal ventilatory dynamics. Chest. 2021; 159(2):712-723.

Tong Y, Udupa JK, McDonough JM, Lott C, Wu C, Rajapakse CS, Anari JB, Torigian DA, Cahill PJ. Lung parenchymal characterization via thoracic dynamic MRI in normal children and pediatric patients with TIS. SPIE Medical Imaging. 2021; 11598:115980Q.

Bram JT, Bocka HR, Cahill PJ, Flynn JM, Anari JB. A seat at the table: an invitation to the SRS podium via the study group. Spine Deform 2021; 9(4):905-911.

LaValva SM, Anari JB, Flynn JM, Harms Study Group. Risk factors for persistent coronal imbalance or revision surgery following L3 LIV selection in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Spine Deformity. 2021; 9(4): 1063-1072.

2020

Sun C, Udupa JK, Tong Y, Wu C, McDonough JM, Qiu C, Lott C, Anari JB, Torigian DA, Cahill PJ. Automatic labeling of respiratory phases and detection of abnormal respiratory signals in free-breathing thoracic dynamic MR image acquisitions based on deep learning. Proc SPIE Int Soc Opt Eng. 2020; 11315:113150A

Johnson MA, Galagedera N, Ho S, Hilmara D, Campbell RM, Anari JB, Mayer OM, Cahill PJ. Correlation of pulmonary function to novel radiographic parameters of collapsing parasol deformity in spinal muscular atrophy. Orthopedics. 2020 29: 1-7.

Qiu C, Lott C, Agaba P, Cahill PJ, Anari JB. Lengthening less than 7 months leads to greater spinal height gain with rib based distraction. J Pediatr Orthop. 2020; 40(8):e747-e752.

Swarup I, MacAlpine EM, Mayer OH, Lark RK, Smith JT, Vitale MG, Flynn JM, Anari JB, Pediatric Spine Study Group, Cahill PJ. Impact of growth friendly interventions on spine and pulmonary outcomes of patients with spinal muscular atrophy. Eur Spine J. 2020; Epub ahead of print.

Anari JB, Baldwin KD, Flynn JM, Cahill PJ. What’s Important: Managing the Impact of Coronavirus on Pediatric Spine Surgery. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2020; 102(16) e94.

Flanders TM, Franco AJ, Lott C, Anari JB, Cahill PJ, Storm PB, Heuer GG. Prophylactic Decompression for Cervical Stenosis in Jeune Syndrome: Report From a Single Institution. Spine. 2020; 45(13): E781-E786.

Anari JB, Tatad A, Cahill PJ, Flynn JM, Harms Study Group. The Impact of Posterior Spinal Fusion (PSF) on Coronal Balance in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS): A New Classification and Trends in the Post-operative Period. J Pediatr Ortho. 2020; 40(9):e788-793.

Anari JB, LaValva SM, Flynn JM, Tatad AM, Harms Study Group. Severe Persistent Coronal Imbalance Following Posterior Spinal Fusion for AIS. Spine Deformity. 2020; 8(6):1295-1304.

LaValva SM, Macalpine EM, Kawakami N, Gandhi JS, Morishita K, Sturm PF, Garg S, Glotzbecker MP, Anari JB, Flynn JM, Pediatric Spine Study Group, Cahill PJ. Awake Serial Body Casting for the Management of Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis: is general anesthesia necessary? Spine Deformity. 2020; 8(5): 1109-1115.

Meza BC, Shah SA, Vitale MG, Sturm PF, Luhmann SJ, Pediatric Spine Study Group, Anari JB. Proximal Anchor Fixation in Magnetically-Controlled Gorwing Rods (MCGR): Preliminary 2-year results of the impact of anchor location & density. Spine Deformity. 2020; 8(4):793-800.

LaValva S, Adams A, MacAlpine E, Gupta P, Hammerberg K, Thompson GH, Sturm P, Garg S, Anari JB, Sponseller P, Flynn J, Cahill PJ, Pediatric Spine Study Group. Serial Casting in Neuromuscular and Syndromic Early-onset Scoliosis (EOS) can delay surgery over 2 years. J Pediatr Ortho. 2020; 40(8):e772-779.

Anari JB, Flynn JM, Cahill PJ, Vitale MG, Smith JT, Gomez JA, Garg S, Baldwin K, Children’s Spine Study Group. Unplanned Return to OR (UPROR) for Early Onset Scoliosis (EOS) Children: A Comprehensive Evaluation of all Diagnoses and Instrumentation Strategies. Spine Deformity. 2020; 8(2): 295-302.

Clement RC, Anari J, Bartley CE, Bastrom TP, Shah R, Talwar D, Upasani VV. What are normal radiographic spine and shoulder balance parameters among adolescent patients? Spine Deformity. 2020; 8(4): 621-627.

Johnson MA, Cahill PJ, Qiu C, Lott C, Mayer OH, Flynn JM, Anari JB. Comparison of T1-S1 spine height of postoperative rib-based implant patients with age matched peers. J Pediatr Ortho. 2020; 40(7):344-350.

Books

Chapters

2022

Anari JB. Surviving in the electronic era: my top EMR hacks. J Pediatr Ortho. 2022; 42:S5-S7.

2020

Pahys JM, Anari JB. Pulmonary evaluation in early onset scoliosis. The Growing Spine 3rd Edition Springer 2020.

Cahill PJ, Anari JB. VEPTR Expansion Thoracoplasty. The Growing Spine 3rd Edition Springer 2020.

Landrum M, Anari JB. Disorders of the Neck and Spine. Netter’s Pediatrics 2nd Edition. Elseiver 2020.

Anari JB. Pediatric Orthopaedics The Codman Group 2020.

2019

Crawford AH, Cahill PJ, Anari JB. Clinical and Radiographic Evaluation of the Scoliotic Patient. Idiopathic Scoliosis The Harms Study Group Treatment Guide. Thieme, 2019.

2018

Anari JB, Cahill JP. Neuromonitoring. Spinal Deformities: The Comprehensive Text. Thieme, 2018.

2016

Wessel LE, Sykes JB, Anari JB, Glaser DL. Indications and Techniques for Double Row Fixation. Shoulder Arthroscopy. Springer International Publishing, 2016, 211-226.

Awards and Honors

2017, Marvin E Steinberg Award, UPENN
2017, DeForest Willard Award, UPENN
2016, Academic Chief Resident Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, UPENN
2011, Gold Humanism Honor Society, RWJMS
2009, Robert Wood Johnson Summer Research Fellow, RWJMS
2008, Robert Wood Johnson Dean’s Scholar, RWJMS
2008, Magna Cum Laude, TCNJ
2008, Uyhazi Memorial Senior Award in Biology, TCNJ
2007, Phi Kappa Phi, TCNJ