New faculty member Madeline Greil, MD, brings with her an enthusiasm for helping patients with spinal cord injuries. Her most recent study, “Retrospective Analysis of Expansile Duraplasty as Surgical Adjunct After Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury,” is indicative of the kind of work she is excited to continue as part of our spine team.
The study focused on improving patient outcomes after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) by reducing pressure on the spinal cord. In a small subset of patients who underwent laminectomy (the removal of spinal bone that covers the spinal canal) to decompress the spinal cord after SCI, the team also performed duraplasty, opening up the dura, which may otherwise continue to compress the injured spinal cord despite the removal of the bone, to allow for further decompression.
Motor scores—recorded before the procedure, upon leaving the hospital, and at follow-up—were used to test each patient’s muscle strength and to compare the progress of patients who underwent duraplasty with the progress of patients who only underwent laminectomy.
“Our sample size was small, and the groups weren’t completely balanced, so more studies are needed to confirm our findings,” Dr. Greil shared, “but it does appear that patients who had duraplasty in addition to laminectomy had significantly more improvement in their strength over time than those who didn’t.”
The team also found that duraplasty did not significantly increase infection or complication rates. “It was reassuring to see patients perform well in these early tests and to know that the procedure is safe and feasible,” Dr. Greil said. With randomized controlled trials beginning in the United States and Europe, it’s only a matter of time before more data are available, allowing for continued refinement.
“I’m excited to be part of the future of this and other research that will improve patient outcomes after spinal cord injury,” Dr. Greil concluded.