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Jason Shih Hoellwarth, MD

Limb Lengthening
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About Dr. Hoellwarth

Dr. Jason Shih Hoellwarth is an Assistant Attending Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in limb lengthening and complex reconstruction surgery, osseointegration surgery for amputees, as well as treating congenital birth disorders, pediatric deformities, and traumatic injuries.

A Chicago-native, Dr. Hoellwarth graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a B.A. in biochemistry and psychology. After graduation, he attended the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California where he led the student-run free clinic, two high school mentoring programs, and completed a year of research in pediatric orthopedic surgery at Boston Children's Hospital. Following orthopedic residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where he was a chief resident and responsible for intern training, he completed four successive fellowships to diversify the care he can provide.

Dr. Hoellwarth's first fellowship was with the Osseointegration Group of Australia, led by Munjed Al Muderis, where he learned how to perform transcutaneous osseointegration for amputees, which provides a permanent skeletal connection between the bone and the prosthetic limb. He then completed his pediatric orthopedic fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine. This time was split between Houston's Shriners Hospital treating children with problems such as clubfoot (focusing on the Ponseti technique), osteogenesis imperfecta, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and other issues and at the Texas Children's Hospital with Dr. Scott Rosenfeld caring for children with traumatic injuries, hip dysplasia, and other hip disorders. Dr. Hoellwarth spent the following year focused on pediatric deformity reconstruction at the Paley Institute, where he focused on stature and limb deficiency, including achondroplasia (dwarfism), hypochondroplasia, and hemimelia or deficiency of the femur, fibula, and tibia.

Most recently, Dr. Hoellwarth completed his fourth fellowship training with his current Limb Lengthening and Complex Reconstruction partners at HSS, where he solidified his skills with external fixation and hexapod techniques, minimally invasive osteotomies, osseointegration, joint replacement, and managing complex deformity problems such as soft tissue and bone infection, nonunion, malunion, osteochondromas, nerve compression and chronic pain related to bone and joint disorders.

Dr. Hoellwarth's continued research endeavors has established him as one of the most published authors worldwide on osseointegration. His research goals are to improve patient care and clinical outcomes. 

Beyond medicine, Dr. Hoellwarth tries to advocate for the environment and is a volunteer instructor for cultural Chinese lion dance. These hobbies remind him that physical mobility and social equity are essential to health. His hope is to help develop affordable and available care to populations living in limited resource environments.

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Departments

Specialized Centers

Osseointegration Limb Replacement Center
Limb Salvage and Amputation Reconstruction Center (LSARC)

Special Expertise

Bone infection (osteomyelitis)
Charcot foot
Clubfoot
Developmental dysplasia of the hip
Distraction osteogenesis
External fixation
Fracture nonunion and malunion
Hip dysplasia
Ilizarov and Hexapod techniques
Limb lengthening (adult & pediatric)
Osseointegration
Pediatric orthopedics

Procedures

Amputation reconstruction
Ankle joint fusion
Deformity correction
Fracture care
Hip joint arthroplasty
Hip, Knee, Ankle distraction
Osseointegration
Knee joint arthroplasty
Knee joint fusion
Limb lengthening
Stature lengthening

Patient Stories

Insurance

If your insurance is not listed, please call our office if you have questions regarding your insurance coverage. If you have out-of-network benefits, then your insurance may reimburse you for a portion of your office visit. We will work with you and your insurance to minimize your out-of-pocket costs. Financial assistance may be available for patients in need.

Credentials

Appointments

Director of Research, Limb Lengthening and Complex Reconstruction Service, Hospital for Special Surgery
Assistant Attending Orthopedic Surgeon, Hospital for Special Surgery
Instructor in Orthopedic Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College
Assistant Attending Orthopedic Surgeon, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

Affiliations

Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society - Candidate Member

Certification

American Board of Orthopedic Surgery: Part 1
United States Medical Licensing Exam: Step 1, 2, 3

Awards

Gavriil Award in Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction, 2022
Keck School of Medicine Dean's Research Scholar, 2011

Education

Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, 2012

Internship

Los Angeles County + University of Southern California, 2013

Residency

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 2019

Fellowship

Limb Lengthening and Complex Reconstruction, Hospital for Special Surgery, 2022
Pediatric Deformity Correction, Paley Orthopedic and Spine Institute, 2021
Pediatric Orthopaedics, Baylor College of Medicine, 2020
Osseointegration Limb Replacement, Osseointegration Group of Australia, 2019

State Licensure

Languages

English

Publications by Dr. Hoellwarth

Patient Education

Selected Journal Articles

Hoellwarth JS, Tetsworth K, Rozbruch SR, Handal MB, Coughlan A, Al Muderis M. Osseointegration for Amputees: Current Implants, Techniques, and Future Directions. JBJS Rev 2020.

Hoellwarth JS, Tetsworth K, Akhtar MA, Al Muderis M. The Clinical History and Basic Science Origins of Transcutaneous Osseointegration for Amputees. Adv Orthop 2022.

Hoellwarth JS, Tetsworth K, Akhtar MA, Oomatia A, Xu H, Al Muderis M. The causes of mortality in amputees following lower extremity osseointegration: an observational study. JAMA-Open In Press October 2022.

Geiger EJ, Hoellwarth JS, Reif TJ, Rozbruch SR. Osseointegration of the Tibia after Primary Amputation. In Press JBJS-EST 2022.

Hoellwarth JS, Reif TJ, Rozbruch SR. Revision Amputation with Press-Fit Osseointegration for Transfemoral Amputees. JBJS-EST 2022.

Hoellwarth JS, Tetsworth K, Kendrew J, Kang NV, van Waes O, Al-Maawi Q, Roberts C, Al Muderis M. Periprosthetic Osseointegration Fractures are Infrequent and Management is Familiar. Bone Joint J 2020.

Tisherman RT, Hoellwarth JS, Mendelson SA. Systematic review of spica casting for the treatment of paediatric diaphyseal femur fractures. J Child Orthop 2018.

Hoellwarth JS, Fourman MS, Crosset L, Goodman M, Siska P, Moloney G, Tarkin IS. Equivalent Mortality and Complication Rates following Periprosthetic Distal Femur Fractures Managed with either Lateral Locked Plating or a Distal Femoral Replacement. Injury 2017.

Hoellwarth JS, Kim JY, Millis MB, Kasser JR, Matheney TH. Open reduction for developmental dysplasia of the hip: comparing anterior and medial approaches in very young patients. J Pediatr Orthop 2015.

Mahan ST, Hoellwarth J, Spencer SA, Kramer DE, Hedequist DJ, Kasser JR. Likelihood of Surgery in Isolated Pediatric Fifth Metatarsal Fractures. J Pediatr Orthop 2015.

For more publications, please see Google Scholar.

Selected Presentations

Osseointegration for Amputees: Introduction and Major Themes. Osseointegration for Amputees: Difficulties and Expanded Indications Amputee Coalition National Conference, Palm Desert CA 2022.

Transtibial Osseointegration Confers Mobility Benefits with Limited Complications. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Specialty Day 2022.

Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism in Cosmetic Stature Lengthening. Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society Scientific Meeting, New York NY 2021.

Osseointegration after Femur Lengthening. Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society Scientific Meeting, New York NY 2021.

Osseointegration after Total Knee Arthroplasty Infection. Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society Scientific Meeting, New York NY 2021.

Lessons Learned from Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis. Annual Kaye Wilkins Pediatric Fracture Course. Dell Medical School, Austin TX 2020.

Management of Surgical Complications of Osseointegration. CARE/FAAST Summit. Naval Medical Center, San Diego CA 2019.

Research

Research Interests

  • Cost and access for care
  • External fixation
  • Fracture infection, nonunion, and malunion
  • Gait analysis
  • Osseointegration
  • Patient-reported outcomes

Industry Relationships

Industry Relationships

HSS has a long history of supporting appropriate relationships with industry because they advance HSS's mission to provide the highest quality patient care, improve patient mobility, and enhance the quality of life for all, and to advance the science of orthopedic surgery, rheumatology, and their related disciplines through research and education.

Below are the healthcare industry relationships reported by Dr. Hoellwarth as of February 22, 2024.

Stryker - Consultant

HSS and its physicians make this information available to patients and the public, thus creating a transparent environment for those who are interested in this information. Further, the HSS Conflicts of Interest and Commitment Policy prohibits physicians from collecting royalties on products they develop that are used on patients at HSS.

Patients should feel free to ask their HSS physicians questions about these relationships.