Cervical Myelopathy, An Issue of Neurosurgery Clinics of North America

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 Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (1996), nomination to the Who's Who list of the 1000 most influential scientists of the 21st century (2001), the Lister Award in Surgical Research (2006), the Leon Wiltse Award from the North American Spine Society for excellence in leadership and/or clinical research in spine care (2009), the Olivecrona Award (2009) -- the top award internationally for neurosurgeons and neuroscientists awarded by the Nobel Institute at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm for his important contributions in CNS injury repair and regeneration, the Reeve-Irvine Research Medal in Spinal Cord Injury (2012), the Golden Axon Leadership Award (2012), the Mac Keith Basic Science Lectureship Award for significant contributions to the basic science of cerebral palsy and childhood onset disabilities (2012), and was the Mayfield Lecturer (2012). In 2012, Dr. Fehlings served as the 40th President of the Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS) -- the only Canadian to do so -- and was honoured with the CSRS Presidential Medallion for outstanding leadership and contributions to cervical spine research. In 2013, Dr. Fehlings was honoured with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal presented to him by the Honourable Stephen Harper, the H. Richard Winn Prize from the Society of Neurological Surgeons, the Jonas Salk Award for Scientific Achievements from the March of Dimes Canada and the Henry Farfan Award from the North American Spine Society. In 2014, Dr. Fehlings was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada and to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and in 2016 won the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Mentor of the Year Award.

Neurosurgery Clinics of North America

Cervical Myelopathy

Preface: Current Knowledge in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

Epidemiology and Overview of the Clinical Spectrum of Degenerative Cervical

Myelopathy

Pathobiology of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

The Natural History of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

Imaging Evaluation of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: Current State of the Art

and Future Directions

Pathophysiology of Calcification and Ossification of the Ligamentum Flavum in the Cervical Spine

Radiologic Evaluation of Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament with Dural Ossification

Ossification of the Ligaments in the Cervical Spine, Including Ossification of the Anterior Longitudinal Ligament, Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament, and Ossification of the Ligamentum Flavum

Importance of Sagittal Alignment of the Cervical Spine in the Management of

Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

Anterior Cervical Option to Manage Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

Laminectomy with or Without Fusion to Manage Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

History and Evolution of Laminoplasty

Significant Predictors of Outcome Following Surgery for the Treatment of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Neurologic Complications in Managing Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Management

Options of Management of the Patient with Mild Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

Management of the Patient with Cervical Cord Compression but no Evidence of

Myelopathy: What Should We do?

Clinical Characteristics and Management of C3-4 Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

Intraoperative Neurophysiologic Monitoring for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

Health Economics and the Management of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

Managing the Complex Patient with Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: How to Handle the Aging Spine, the Obese Patient, and Individuals with Medical Comorbidities

Future Directions and New Technologies for the Management of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy