Theo Vander Velde, MD
Assistant Professor of Radiology in the School of Medicine
Dr. Vander Velde is involved in studying and developing novel techniques in interventional oncology and pain management from the section of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention. He is currently principal investigator of a multicenter study to evaluate the effectiveness of a biologic implant material as an alternative to PMMA cement for percutaneous vertebroplasty, a procedure for stabilizing vertebral compression fractures. This may yield native bone ingrowth and fewer long-term complications.
Dr. Vander Velde is also involved in the rapidly expanding role of thermal ablation procedures for local tumor control and pain palliation. Traditional methods of tumor management have included surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Dr. Vander Velde’s team has shown thermal ablation to be an additional effective tool in the multidisciplinary approach to tumor control. Furthermore, selective thermal ablation of sensory nerves is increasingly recognized as effective for pain palliation in advanced cancer patients.
Dr. Vander Velde received a BS in chemistry from Calvin College and an MD from Wayne State University School of Medicine. His radiology training was at Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University. Previously in private practice, he was on the board of directors and chief compliance officer for Midwest Radiological Associates before returning to his academic home at Washington University. Dr. Vander Velde is a Ruling Elder at Covenant Presbyterian Church where he attends with his wife Kimberly and two children, Joshua and Anneka.