Prof. Jonathan Roth, MD

Top Neurosurgeon — Pediatric Neurosurgery and Endoscopic Neurosurgery in Israel

Position: Head and  Senior Neurosurgeon in Neurosurgical Division – Pediatric Neurosurgery and Endoscopic Neurosurgery Service

Hospital: Dana-Dwek Children’s Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), Israel

Prof. Jonathan Roth is in the Forbes list of the best Israeli doctors. The pediatric neurosurgery department under his leadership has become the leading center of its kind in Israel, treating children from across the country and from abroad. Prof. Roth has approximately 296 peer-reviewed publications in international medical journals and has presented at approximately 50 international scientific conferences. In 2025, he performed the first surgery in Israel using radiofrequency waves to disconnect the cerebral hemispheres (corpus callosotomy) for drug-resistant epilepsy — a procedure previously performed at only one other center in the world.

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Pediatric Neurosurgery

• Hydrocephalus — all types, including complex cases; ETV (Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy) and shunt surgery
• Brain tumors in children — with special focus on intraventricular and paraventricular tumors
• Colloid cysts — endoscopic removal
• Arachnoid cysts — surgical management
• Craniopharyngiomas — complex resection and endoscopic approaches
• Epilepsy surgery in children — resection, disconnection procedures, and minimally invasive ablation
• Surgery for Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) — including SEGA tumor resection and epilepsy surgery
• Moyamoya disease — pediatric cerebrovascular surgery
• Hypothalamic hamartomas — combined open microsurgical and endoscopic resection

Endoscopic Neurosurgery

• Endoscopic surgery for intraventricular pathologies — largest dedicated service in Israel and the Middle East
• Endoscopic surgery for skull base pathologies
• Transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery for pituitary tumors and skull base lesions
• Complex endoscopic procedures including combined endoscopic and microsurgical approaches

Minimally Invasive & Innovative Procedures

• Radiofrequency corpus callosotomy (minimally invasive hemispheric disconnection) for epilepsy — first in Israel (2025), only second center in the world
• Combined open microsurgical and endoscopic resection of complex brain tumors
• Intraoperative MRI-guided neurosurgery
• Intraoperative navigation and neuromonitoring

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Education

Medical Degree

• MD — Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel

Residency

• Residency in Neurosurgery — Tel Aviv Medical Center (Ichilov), Tel Aviv, Israel

International Fellowships & Advanced Training

• Fellowship in Endoscopic Surgery — Intraventricular and Skull Base Pathologies; Transsphenoidal Surgery for Pituitary Tumors and Skull Base Tumors — Cornell Medical Center (Weill Cornell Medicine), New York City, NY, USA (2008)
  • One of the world’s leading neurosurgical centers
• Fellowship in Pediatric Neurosurgery — with emphasis on endoscopic surgery, epilepsy surgery, and oncological surgery — New York University Medical Center (NYUMC), New York City, NY, USA (2008–2009)
  • One of the leading pediatric neurosurgical centers in North America

Professional Experience of Prof. Jonathan Roth

• 2009 – present: Senior Physician, Department of Neurosurgery and Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery — Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov) and Dana-Dwek Children’s Hospital
• 2009 – present: Acting Head, Endoscopic Neurosurgery Service — Neurosurgical Division, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov)
• Current: Head, Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery — Dana-Dwek Children’s Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center
  • Leading the largest and most active pediatric neurosurgery department in Israel
  • Only approximately 20% of patients are from the Tel Aviv metropolitan area; 80% from across Israel and abroad
  • Approximately 450 pediatric neurosurgical operations performed per year
  • Heads a multidisciplinary team including neurologist, geneticist, psychologist, neuropsychologist, social worker, and research assistants
• Current: Head, Neurosurgical Division — Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov)
  • Oversees a division performing approximately 2,300 neurosurgical operations per year
  • Division includes 40 inpatient beds and a 10-bed neurosurgical ICU
• Ongoing: Associate Clinical Professor — Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University

Selected Research & Publications

Prof. Roth is the author of approximately 296 peer-reviewed publications in international medical journals. Full list available on PubMed

Selected PubMed-Indexed Publications

1. Roth J, Roach ES, Bartels U, Jóźwiak S, Koenig MK, Weiner HL, Franz DN, Wang HZ. “Subependymal giant cell astrocytoma: diagnosis, screening, and treatment.” Pediatric Neurology. ; 49(6):439–44. PMID: 24138953.
2. Roth J, Fried I, Constantini S. “Neurosurgical aspects in the treatment of children with tuberous sclerosis complex.” Harefuah. ; 153(1):43–7, 63. PMID: 24605407. (Hebrew)
3. Roth J, Bercu MM, Constantini S. “Combined open microsurgical and endoscopic resection of hypothalamic hamartomas.” Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics. (PubMed-indexed)
4. Harter DH, Bassani L, Rodgers SD, Roth J, Devinsky O, Carlson C, Wisoff JH, Weiner HL. “A management strategy for intraventricular subependymal giant cell astrocytomas in tuberous sclerosis complex.” Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics. 2014 Jan; 13(1):21–8. PMID: 24180681.
5. Treiber JM, Curry DJ, Weiner HL, Roth J. “Epilepsy surgery in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC): emerging techniques and redefinition of treatment goals.” Child’s Nervous System. 2020 Oct; 36(10):2519–2525. PMID: 32535771.
6. Roth J et al. (multiple publications on hydrocephalus, endoscopic surgery outcomes, intraventricular tumors — PubMed-indexed)

Main Research Areas

• Pediatric hydrocephalus — endoscopic treatment, shunt surgery outcomes, and ETV success factors
• Tuberous Sclerosis Complex or TSC — neurosurgical management of SEGA tumors and epilepsy
• Epilepsy surgery in children — resection, disconnection, and minimally invasive procedures
• Endoscopic approaches for intraventricular and skull base tumors
• Craniopharyngioma surgery — outcomes and quality of life
• Colloid cyst and arachnoid cyst management
• Moyamoya disease — surgical outcomes
• Intraoperative MRI in pediatric neurosurgery

Conference Presentations

• Approximately 50 presentations at national and international scientific conferences
• Regular invited speaker at international pediatric neurosurgery and neuroendoscopy conferences

Professional Memberships of prof. Roth

• Israeli Society of Neurosurgery — Member
• European Society of Pediatric Neurosurgery, ESPN — Member
• International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, ISPN — Member
• International Federation of Neuroendoscopy, IFNE — Member
• European Association of Neurosurgical Societies, EANS — Member
• Israeli Medical Association — Member

Languages

• Hebrew
• English

Awards & Recognition of Top Neurosurgeon Jonathan Roth

• Appointed Head, Neurosurgical Division, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov) — one of Israel’s most senior neurosurgical roles
• Appointed Associate Clinical Professor, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University
• Led the Dana-Dwek Pediatric Neurosurgery Department to become the leading pediatric neurosurgical center in Israel — attracting 80% of patients from outside Tel Aviv and internationally
• Recipient of international research collaborations with leading centers: NYU Medical Center, Texas Children’s Hospital (Baylor College of Medicine), and other world-leading institutions

Notable Clinical & Scientific Milestones of prof. Roth

• 2025: Performed the first surgery in Israel using radiofrequency corpus callosotomy (minimally invasive hemispheric disconnection) for drug-resistant epilepsy — in a 12-year-old patient with bilateral brain seizures. At the time, only one other center in the world (in India) had performed this procedure. Co-performed with Prof. Ido Strauss.
• Established the largest intraventricular endoscopic neurosurgery service in Israel and the Middle East at Ichilov.
• Led the development of combined open microsurgical and endoscopic approaches for complex hypothalamic hamartomas — improving outcomes for previously inoperable cases.
• Pioneered comprehensive multidisciplinary management of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) in children in Israel — combining tumor surgery, epilepsy surgery, and medical management with mTOR inhibitors.
• The pediatric neurosurgery department at Dana-Dwek Hospital performs approximately 450 neurosurgical operations per year, with an intraoperative MRI suite, navigation system, endoscope, and advanced intraoperative monitoring — placing it among the most technologically advanced pediatric neurosurgery centers in the world.

For patients seeking high-level neurosurgical care in Israel, Prof. Jonathan Roth provides expert consultation and individualized treatment strategies for complex adult and pediatric neurosurgical conditions, including brain tumors, ventricular and skull base pathologies, hydrocephalus, colloid cysts, arachnoid cysts, craniopharyngiomas, epilepsy surgery, vascular anomalies, and congenital neurological disorders. His practice emphasizes advanced neuroendoscopic, minimally invasive, and microsurgical approaches, with particular expertise in pediatric neurosurgery and complex brain surgery.