Elsevier Cervical Myelopathy, An Issue of Neurosurgery Clinics of North America (Volume 29-1) (The Clinics: Surgery, Volume 29-1)

This issue of Neurosurgery Clinics, edited by Dr. Michael G. Fehlings and Dr. Junichi Mizuno, focuses on Cervical Myelopathy. Topics include, but are not limited to, Epidemiology and overview of the clinical spectrum of degenerative cervical myelopathy; Pathobiology of degenerative cervical myelopathy; Natural history of degenerative cervical myelopathy; Imaging evaluation of degenerative cervical myelopathy: current state of the art and future directions; Pathophysiology of CPPD and OYL(OLF); Radiological evaluation of OPLL with dural ossification; Relationship of OALL, OPLL and OYL (OLF); Importance of sagittal alignment of the cervical spine in the management of degenerative cervical myelopathy; Anterior cervical options to manage degenerative cervical myelopathy; Laminectomy with or without fusion to manage degenerative cervical myelopathy; History and evolution of laminoplasty; Prediction of outcomes in managing degenerative cervical myelopathy; Neurological complications in managing degenerative cervical myelopathy; Options to manage the patient with mild degenerative cervical myelopathy; Management of the patient with cervical cord compression but no evidence of myelopathy; Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring for CDD; Future Directions and New Technology, and more! About the Author Dr. Fehlings is the Vice Chair Research for the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto and Head of the Spinal Program at Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network. Dr. Fehlings is a Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto, holds the Gerry and Tootsie Halbert Chair in Neural Repair and Regeneration, is a Scientist at the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine and a McLaughlin Scholar in Molecular Medicine. In the fall of 2008, Dr. Fehlings was appointed the inaugural Director of the University of Toronto Neuroscience Program (which he held until June 2012) and is currently Co-Director of the University of Toronto Spine Program. Dr. Fehlings combines an active clinical practice in complex spinal surgery with a translationally oriented research program focused on discovering novel treatments to improve functional outcomes following spinal cord injury (SCI). He has published over 850 peer-reviewed articles (h-index 87) chiefly in the area of central nervous system injury and complex spinal surgery. His seminal 1991 paper, cited over 1400 times, outlined the severe and lasting consequences of SCI due to a cascade of secondary injury mechanisms following the initial trauma. His research on secondary injury mechanisms ultimately led to the commencement of the multicenter, international Surgical Timing in Acute Spinal Cord Injury Study (STASCIS), aimed at establishing the need for early surgical decompression to prevent the negative effects of the secondary injury cascade. The results from this study, led by Dr. Fehlings and published in 2012, demonstrated the critical importance of early surgical decompression (<24 hours) to improve functional and neurological outcomes, and reduce secondary complications in individuals with SCI. His work examining the use of regenerative approaches including neural stem cells to repair the injured nervous system has led to numerous international awards and has helped lead the field toward clinical translation in this area. In 2017, the initiative to create Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of degenerative cervical myelopathy and acute traumatic SCI - a multi-disciplinary international effort led by Dr. Fehlings - was published in the Global Spine Journal. Most recently, Dr. Fehlings' work demonstrating that midcervical excitatory interneurons are essential for the maintenance of breathing in non-traumatic cervical SCI and critical for promoting respiratory recovery after traumatic SCI was published in Nature. Dr. Michael Fehlings has received numerous prestigious awards including the Gold Medal in Surgery from the Roya