Make an appointment with Dr. Altstadt

Dr. Altstadt is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He completed his medical degree, general surgery internship, neurological surgery residency, and postgraduate fellowship in complex spinal surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine.

Dr. Altstadt is a member of the KODA Clinical Advisory Board, the University of Louisville School of Medicine Graduate Medical Education Accreditation Sub-Committee, and the Jewish Hospital Surgical Services Executive Committee. He is currently the Neurosurgical consultant for the University of Louisville Football team.

Committed to teaching others, Dr. Altstadt works closely with Residents in the University of Louisville Department of Neurological Surgery and is frequently invited to be a guest instructor to teach aspects of general neurosurgery and complex spine surgery. He was the recipient of the Resident Teaching Award in 2014. In 2018, he was named a Top Surgeon by Louisville Magazine for discectomy, laminectomy, and spinal fusion.

Dr. Altstadt's research interests include preservation of function in patients with spinal cord injury and developing more effective and efficient means to treat complex spinal disorders. He is currently the principal investigator at the University of Louisville for the SPRING trial investigating the efficacy of a novel drug to treat acute spinal cord injury. He is also leading a research group investigating the impact of craniocervical alignment on swallowing.

Clinically, Dr. Altstadt specializes in minimally invasive and complex spine surgery. He has particular expertise in the use of intraoperative spinal navigation for the treatment of complex spinal disorders. His clinical interests include disorders of the craniocervical junction, cervical deformity, motion-preserving treatments for disorders of the cervical spine (cervical arthroplasty), and minimally invasive treatments of lumbar spinal disorders including lumbar disc herniation, far-lateral disc herniation, lumbar stenosis, and lumbar spondylolisthesis. Dr. Altstadt also has an interest in caring for sports-related neurosurgical disorders. Dr. Altstadt is licensed to practice in Kentucky and Indiana.

On a personal note, Dr. Altstadt, and his wife, Amanda, reside with their two daughters in Louisville. During the warm months when not at work, Dr. Altstadt enjoys cycling through his native Southern Indiana and distance swimming in the Ohio River. As a Kentucky resident, he takes full advantage of the wonderful hunting and fishing opportunities that The Commonwealth has to offer.