Scholars@Duke
Melissa Maria Erickson

Melissa Maria Erickson

Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Orthopaedic Surgery
melissa.erickson@duke.edu
Box 3077, Durham, NC 27710
Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, Box 3077, Durham, NC 27710
Office hours 8:00 AM-5:00 PM  

Scholarly Works - Journal articles

Spine-related leg pain: Definitions, etiology, clinical presentation, and management.

Journal article Musculoskelet Sci Pract · July 23, 2026 Spine-related leg pain (SRLP) is a common and clinically important presentation, affecting a substantial proportion of individuals with lumbar spine disorders. Compared to those with isolated axial low back pain, these patients experience higher pain inten ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evolving Applicant Priorities in the Signaling Era: Implications for Orthopedic Surgery Residency Recruitment.

Journal article J Surg Educ · June 2026 OBJECTIVE: The Orthopedic surgery residency application process has undergone notable recent changes, including the adoption of preference signaling and increasing emphasis on applicant-program alignment. To recruit top candidates, programs must understand ... Full text Link to item Cite

Antibiotic Duration after Debridement and Implant Retention for Early Postoperative Spinal Implant Infections: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

Journal article Clin Infect Dis · May 5, 2026 BACKGROUND: Postoperative spinal implant infections (PSII) are a serious complication of instrumented spinal fusion. Although debridement with implant retention is standard for early infection, the optimal duration of antimicrobial therapy remains uncertai ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Impact of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists on Outcomes in Nondiabetic Patients Undergoing Posterior Cervical Spine Surgery

Journal article Clinical Spine Surgery · May 2026 Study Design:Retrospective cohort study.Objective: ... Full text Cite

Radiotherapy Utilization Patterns Among Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma of the Spine: A National Claims Database Study.

Journal article Am J Clin Oncol · March 13, 2026 OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify sociodemographic predictors of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) use and assess temporal trends in first-line SBRT use among patients with spinal metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) in relation to National Co ... Full text Link to item Cite

Trends in Palliative Care Utilization in Patients with Bone Metastases.

Journal article J Palliat Med · March 2026 BACKGROUND: Bone metastases cause significant symptom burden, yet patterns of palliative care (PC) utilization in this population remain poorly characterized. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate trends in PC use, compare inpatient palliative care (IPPC) and outpatient ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Perioperative Depressive Symptoms in Surgical Cancer Patients: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Journal article Ann Surg Oncol · March 2026 BACKGROUND: Patients with cancer requiring surgery are at increased risk for depressive symptoms. However, prevalence and severity during the perioperative period are poorly characterized. This study systematically reviewed the perioperative prevalence of ... Full text Link to item Cite

Performance of ChatGPT versus spine surgeons as an emergency department spine call consultant.

Journal article N Am Spine Soc J · March 2026 BACKGROUND: Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are increasingly being recognized as credible tools for use across diverse healthcare settings. While artificial intelligence (AI) use has previously been evaluated in emergency medicine, its use in sub ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Analyzing the relationship between the social vulnerability index and 90-day elective lumbar fusion outcomes.

Journal article Spine J · February 2026 BACKGROUND CONTEXT: The social vulnerability index (SVI) is a centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) census data tool to identify populations that are susceptible to hazards and health emergencies. Higher scores indicate more socioeconomic vulner ... Full text Link to item Cite

Integrating Surgical Education and Patient Care: The Impact of a Student-Led Spine Patient Navigator Program.

Journal article J Surg Educ · February 2026 OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of the Spine Patient Navigator Program (SPNP) on medical student leadership, teaching, and clinical skills, undergraduate student development, and the perioperative experience of spine surgery patients. METHODS: A structur ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association Between Preoperative D-dimer and Venous Thromboembolism Risk in Patients with Spine Tumors.

Journal article Spine (Phila Pa 1976) · January 20, 2026 STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether preoperative D-dimer predicts perioperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk in spine tumor patients. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common perioperat ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Impact of Preoperative Psychological Interventions on Postoperative Outcomes in Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review.

Journal article Clin Spine Surg · January 6, 2026 STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review conducted under PRISMA guidelines. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of preoperative psychological interventions on spine surgery postoperative outcomes. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Approximately one-third of individuals wit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prevalence of Depression in Metastatic Spine Disease Patients Undergoing Surgical Intervention.

Journal article Spine (Phila Pa 1976) · October 29, 2025 STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate rates of self-reported depression in MSD patients undergoing surgery overall and at each timepoint in the perioperative period, and also to explore associations with sociodemographic factors. ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

From interest to advancement: confronting structural inequities facing women in spine surgery.

Journal article Spine J · October 2025 Women remain significantly underrepresented in spine surgery. Despite growing diversity among medical school matriculants, spine surgery continues to lag behind other specialties in recruiting, retaining, and promoting women across all stages of training a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Introduction. Proceedings of Spine Summit 2025.

Journal article J Neurosurg Spine · August 29, 2025 Full text Link to item Cite

Robotic assisted anterior lumbar interbody fusion with the use of indocyanine green and posterior spinal fusion.

Journal article Neurosurg Focus Video · July 2025 A 50-year-old male with grade I spondylolisthesis at L5-S1 was treated surgically with a robotic anterior lumbar interbody fusion (R-ALIF). A general surgeon used the da Vinci robotic system to access the disc space and indocyanine green to visualize the v ... Full text Link to item Cite

Associations Between Problem List Items and Clinically Significant Distress in Patients With Metastatic Spine Disease.

Journal article Spine (Phila Pa 1976) · June 15, 2025 STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify sources of distress in patients with metastatic spine disease and elucidate factors associated with clinically significant distress. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Distress is a ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The Prevalence of Intraoperative Neuromonitoring in Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: Trends, Variances, and Value Appraisal.

Journal article Clin Spine Surg · June 1, 2025 STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to (1) evaluate recent trends in the use of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in the United States, (2) assess regiona ... Full text Link to item Cite

Novel Risk Factors for Postoperative Hematoma Requiring Reoperation Following Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion.

Journal article Clin Spine Surg · June 1, 2025 STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between comorbid chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, tobacco use, and the incidence of postoperative hematoma requiring reoperation after anterior cervica ... Full text Link to item Cite

Investigating distress levels in patients with metastatic spine disease undergoing surgical intervention.

Journal article Neurosurg Focus · May 1, 2025 OBJECTIVE: Cancer patients often experience high levels of distress, which are particularly pronounced in the perioperative period. However, there is a dearth of research on distress rates in patients with metastatic spine disease (MSD). This study aims to ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Perioperative Trends in Distress Among Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Journal article Cancer Med · March 2025 INTRODUCTION: Distress is common among cancer patients, especially those undergoing surgery. However, no study has systematically analyzed distress trends in this population. The purpose of this study was to systematically review perioperative rates of dis ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The Association Between Sociodemographic Factors and Patient Portal Utilization Across Orthopaedic Subspecialties.

Journal article JB JS Open Access · 2025 BACKGROUND: Patient portal (PP) usage enhances patient engagement, quality of care, and clinical outcomes. However, effective utilization requires digital literacy and internet access, resulting in disparities, particularly among older, non-White, uninsure ... Full text Link to item Cite

Validation of the graded prognostic assessment and recursive partitioning analysis as prognostic tools using a modern cohort of patients with brain metastases.

Journal article Neurooncol Pract · December 2024 BACKGROUND: Prognostic indices for patients with brain metastases (BM) are needed to individualize treatment and stratify clinical trials. Two frequently used tools to estimate survival in patients with BM are the recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) and ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Comparison of intraoperative and postoperative outcomes between open, wiltse, and percutaneous approach to traumatic thoracolumbar spine fractures without neurological injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Journal article N Am Spine Soc J · December 2024 BACKGROUND: Traumatic thoracolumbar fracture fixation without neurological injury can be performed using the traditional open, mini-open Wiltse, and percutaneous approaches. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to compare perioperative outcomes be ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Clinical and radiographic outcomes after index anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with interbody spacer with integrated anchor fixation: a single-surgeon case study.

Journal article J Spine Surg · September 23, 2024 BACKGROUND: The use of plate-cage systems in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) has been shown to produce fusion and good clinical outcomes though it has been associated with complications such as dysphagia at higher rates than stand-alone impl ... Full text Link to item Cite

Central cord syndrome: Mechanisms, clinical presentation, and management strategies

Journal article Seminars in Spine Surgery · June 1, 2024 Central Cord Syndrome (CCS) is a prevalent form of incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) characterized by distinct motor and sensory deficits. This paper discusses the nuances of CCS, covering epidemiology, etiology, mechanisms, clinical presentation, diagno ... Full text Open Access Cite

Variation in Oral Board Examination Accommodations Among Specialties.

Journal article JAMA Netw Open · May 1, 2024 IMPORTANCE: Board certification can have broad implications for candidates' career trajectories, and prior research has found sociodemographic disparities in pass rates. Barriers in the format and administration of the oral board examinations may dispropor ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Pushing the Limits of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery-From Preoperative to Intraoperative to Postoperative Management.

Journal article J Clin Med · April 20, 2024 The introduction of minimally invasive surgery ushered in a new era of spine surgery by minimizing the undue iatrogenic injury, recovery time, and blood loss, among other complications, of traditional open procedures. Over time, technological advancements ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Evolution of the Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF): From Open to Percutaneous to Patient-Specific.

Journal article J Clin Med · April 14, 2024 The transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) has seen significant evolution since its early inception, reflecting advancements in surgical techniques, patient safety, and outcomes. Originally described as an improvement over the posterior lumbar inter ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Prophylactic Muscle Flaps Decrease Wound Complication Rates in Patients with Oncologic Spine Disease.

Journal article Plast Reconstr Surg · January 1, 2024 BACKGROUND: Patients with oncologic spine disease face a high systemic illness burden and often require surgical intervention to alleviate pain and maintain spine stability. Wound healing complications are the most common reason for reoperation in this pop ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes for Patients with Cervical Adjacent Segment Disease Treated with Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion with Integrated Interbody Spacers.

Journal article World Neurosurg · December 2023 INTRODUCTION: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is among the most common spine procedures. Adjacent segment disease (ASD), characterized by degenerative disease at an adjacent spinal level to a prior fusion, is a well-recognized and significan ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

High Prevalence of Cervical Myelopathy among Hip Fracture Patients

Journal article Operative Techniques in Orthopaedics · December 1, 2023 Hip fractures are devastating injuries for the elderly and an increasing burden to the healthcare system. Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), as a common cause of disability, instability, and falls in the elderly population, places patients at risk for ... Full text Open Access Cite

Augmented Reality in Spine Surgery Narrative Review: Seeing is Believing

Journal article Operative Techniques in Orthopaedics · December 1, 2023 In recent years, augmented reality (AR) has emerged as a promising technology in spine surgery. Its benefits are numerous, including enhanced surgical accuracy, improved anatomic approximation, and uninterrupted visualization. It has proven particularly va ... Full text Open Access Cite

Sociodemographic Trends in Telemedicine Visit Completion in Spine Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Journal article Spine (Phila Pa 1976) · November 1, 2023 STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: This study identifies potential disparities in telemedicine utilization in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath in patients receiving spine surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: COVID-19 le ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The Association Between Sociodemographic Factors, Social Determinants of Health, and Spine Surgical Patient Portal Utilization.

Journal article Clin Spine Surg · October 1, 2023 STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: To examine patient portal use among the surgical spine patient population across different sociodemographic groups and assess the impact of patient portal use on clinical outcomes. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Association Between Hospital Monopoly Status, Patient Socioeconomic Disadvantage, and Total Joint Arthroplasty Price Disclosure.

Journal article J Am Acad Orthop Surg · October 1, 2023 INTRODUCTION: In recent years, healthcare institutions and regulatory bodies have enacted cost transparency mandates for routine interventions such as total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty. However, disclosure rates remain low. This study exam ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Associations between urbanicity and spinal cord astrocytoma management and outcomes.

Journal article Cancer Epidemiol · October 2023 BACKGROUND: The management of spinal cord astrocytomas (SCAs) remains controversial and may include any combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Factors such as urbanicity (metropolitan versus non-metropolitan residence) are shown to be associa ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Representation of Female Speakers at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meetings Over Time.

Journal article J Am Acad Orthop Surg · March 15, 2023 BACKGROUND: In the United States, women comprise 16% of orthopaedic surgery residents, 4% of fellows, and 6% of practicing orthopaedic surgeons. The underrepresentation of women in surgical subspecialties may be because of lack of early exposure to female ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Instrument Tracking for Prone Lateral Surgery.

Journal article World Neurosurg · January 2023 The prone lateral transpsoas approach for lumbar interbody fusion and posterior instrumentation enables a large surface area implant without disruption of the posterior spine musculature from a single position.1,2 The addition of virtual live fluoroscopy i ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Dr. Ruth Jackson: the legacy of the first female spine surgeon.

Journal article J Neurosurg Spine · November 1, 2022 Dr. Ruth Jackson, born in 1902, was the first female spine surgeon on record. Her story of remarkable resilience and sacrifice is even more relevant given the stark gender disparities in orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery that remain today. Dr. Jackson en ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Minimally invasive lateral retroperitoneal transpsoas approach for lumbar corpectomy and fusion with posterior instrumentation.

Journal article Neurosurg Focus Video · July 2022 In this video, the authors highlight the operative treatment of a 55-year-old man with chronic osteomyelitis discitis. The operation entailed a minimally invasive lateral retroperitoneal transpsoas approach for L3 and L4 corpectomies, L2-5 interbody fusion ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Expanding lateral access spine surgery

Journal article Neurosurgical Focus Video · July 1, 2022 Full text Open Access Cite

Lumbar intervertebral disc diurnal deformations and T2 and T1rho relaxation times vary by spinal level and disc region.

Journal article Eur Spine J · March 2022 PURPOSE: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is routinely used to evaluate spine pathology; however, standard imaging findings weakly correlate to low back pain. Abnormal disc mechanical function is implicated as a cause of back pain but is not assessed using ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Insurance status as a mediator of clinical presentation, type of intervention, and short-term outcomes for patients with metastatic spine disease.

Journal article Cancer Epidemiol · February 2022 BACKGROUND: It is well established that insurance status is a mediator of disease management, treatment course, and clinical outcomes in cancer patients. Our study assessed differences in clinical presentation, treatment course, mortality rates, and in-hos ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Interhospital transfer status for spinal metastasis patients in the United States is associated with more severe clinical presentations and higher rates of inpatient complications.

Journal article Neurosurg Focus · May 2021 OBJECTIVE: In patients with metastatic spinal disease (MSD), interhospital transfer can potentially impact clinical outcomes as the possible benefits of transferring a patient to a higher level of care must be weighed against the negative effects associate ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Hematocrit as a predictor of preoperative transfusion-associated complications in spine surgery: A NSQIP study.

Journal article Clin Neurol Neurosurg · January 2021 BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Preoperative optimization of medical comorbidities prior to spinal surgery is becoming an increasingly important intervention in decreasing postoperative complications and ensuring a satisfactory postoperative course. The treatment of p ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Objective Test Scores Throughout Orthopedic Surgery Residency Suggest Disparities in Training Experience.

Journal article J Surg Educ · 2021 Diversifying clinical residencies, particularly in fields that are historically dominated by majority male (M/M) cohorts, is critical to improve both the training experiences of residents and the overall physician workforce. Orthopedic surgery in particula ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Acute exertional compartment syndrome of the lumbar paraspinal muscles in a weightlifter. A case report

Journal article North American Spine Society Journal · December 1, 2020 Background: Compartment syndrome (CS) is a well-known phenomenon in orthopaedics associated with traumatic injury to an extremity or over exertion which ultimately leads to prolonged and elevated intrafascial pressures. CS was initially described by Volkma ... Full text Open Access Cite

Does facility volume influence survival in patients with primary malignant bone tumors of the vertebral column? A comparative cohort study.

Journal article Spine J · July 2020 BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Facility volume has been correlated with survival in many cancers. This relationship has not been established in primary malignant bone tumors of the vertebral column (BTVC). PURPOSE: To investigate whether facility patient volume is as ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Helmet Modification to PPE With 3D Printing During the COVID-19 Pandemic at Duke University Medical Center: A Novel Technique.

Journal article J Arthroplasty · July 2020 Care for patients during COVID-19 poses challenges that require the protection of staff with recommendations that health care workers wear at minimum, an N95 mask or equivalent while performing an aerosol-generating procedure with a face shield. The United ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Predicting Patient-Centered Outcomes from Spine Surgery Using Risk Assessment Tools: a Systematic Review.

Journal article Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med · June 2020 PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the current literature in patients undergoing spine surgery in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine to determine the available risk assessment tools to predict the patient-centered ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Factors Associated With Extended Length of Stay and 90-Day Readmission Rates Following ACDF

Journal article Global Spine Journal · May 1, 2020 Study Design: Retrospective. Objective: Identify patient risk factors for extended length of stay (LOS) and 90-day hospital readmissions following elective anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Methods: Included ACDF patients from 2013 to 2017 at ... Full text Open Access Cite

The MARBLE Study Protocol: Modulating ApoE Signaling to Reduce Brain Inflammation, DeLirium, and PostopErative Cognitive Dysfunction.

Journal article J Alzheimers Dis · 2020 BACKGROUND: Perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PND) are common complications in older adults associated with increased 1-year mortality and long-term cognitive decline. One risk factor for worsened long-term postoperative cognitive trajectory is the A ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Epidemiologic and survival trends in adult primary bone tumors of the spine.

Journal article Spine J · December 2019 BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Malignant primary spinal tumors are rare making it difficult to perform large studies comparing epidemiologic, survival, and treatment trends. We investigated the largest registry of primary bone tumors, the National Cancer Database (NC ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

A magnetic resonance imaging framework for quantifying intervertebral disc deformation in vivo: Reliability and application to diurnal variations in lumbar disc shape.

Journal article J Biomech · April 11, 2018 Low back pain is a significant socioeconomic burden in the United States and lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration is frequently implicated as a cause. The discs play an important mechanical role in the spine, yet the relationship between disc function a ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Identifying molecular phenotype of nucleus pulposus cells in human intervertebral disc with aging and degeneration.

Journal article J Orthop Res · August 2016 Previous study claimed that disc degeneration may be preceded by structure and matrix changes in the intervertebral disc (IVD) which coincide with the loss of distinct notochordally derived nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. However, the fate of notochordal cell ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Cervical Spine Injuries in Sports

Journal article The Duke Orthopaedic Journal · June 2015 ABSTRACTInjuries to the cervical spine in athletes are rare but potentially devastating outcomes resulting from involvement in sports activities. New rules and regulations implemented by national sports organizations have ... Full text Cite

Current Trends in the Management of Lumbar Spine Injuries in Athletes

Journal article The Duke Orthopaedic Journal · June 2015 ABSTRACTLumbar spine injuries are prevalent among athletes and are likely to increase with the rising popularity of extreme sports. It is important for physicians to understand the basic anatomy of the lumbar spine along w ... Full text Cite

Surgical management of complex spinal deformity.

Journal article Orthop Clin North Am · January 2012 Surgical treatment of complex cervical spinal deformities can be challenging operations. Patients often present with debilitating conditions ranging from generalized decreased quality of life to quadriplegia. Surgical treatment can be divided into anterior ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite