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Michael Safaee, MD

Assistant Professor Of Clinical Neurological Surgery

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Email msafaee@usc.edu
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Overview

Michael Safaee is a neurosurgeon specializing in the treatment of spinal disorders. He has a clinical focus on scoliosis, kyphosis, and revision surgery. His research is centered on surgical outcomes in adult spinal deformity, with a particular interest in biological aging and its role in surgical risk assessment.

Awards

  • UCSF Neurological Surgery: Harold Rosegay Resident Teaching Award, 2021
  • Scoliosis Research Society: Russell A. Hibbs Basic Research Award, 2021
  • UCSF Neurological Surgery: Howard Naffziger Award, 2020

Publications

  • Abscess Formation in a Nonfunctioning Pituitary AdenomaWorld Neurosurg. 2016 Jun; 90:703. e15-703. e18. . View in PubMed
  • Completely Minimally Invasive Implant Removal and Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion for Adjacent Segment Disease: Case Series and Operative Video Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2024 Mar 07. . View in PubMed
  • Epigenetic age biomarkers and risk assessment in adult spinal deformity: a novel association of biological age with frailty and disability J Neurosurg Spine. 2024 Mar 01; 40(3):312-323. . View in PubMed
  • Future Data Points to Implement in Adult Spinal Deformity Assessment for Artificial Intelligence Modeling Prediction: The Importance of the Biological Dimension Int J Spine Surg. 2023 Jun; 17(S1):S34-S44. . View in PubMed
  • Biological Age and Spine Surgery-Genomics and the Future of Risk Assessment World Neurosurg. 2023 Apr; 172:47. . View in PubMed
  • WITHDRAWN: Biological age and spine surgery-genomics and the future of risk assessment World Neurosurg. 2023 Jan 20. . View in PubMed
  • Posterior-based resection of spinal meningiomas: an institutional experience of 141 patients with an average of 28 months of follow-up J Neurosurg Spine. 2023 01 01; 38(1):139-146. . View in PubMed
  • Patient Frailty Influences Outcome After Open, But Not Minimally Invasive, Transforaminal Interbody Fusion: A Case Series of 115 Patients With Lumbar Degenerative Disease Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2023 06 01; 24(6):565-571. . View in PubMed
  • Comparison of Surgical Outcomes Between Anterior and Posterior Cervical Fusions Stratified by Levels Decompressed Clin Spine Surg. 2023 06 01; 36(5):E206-E211. . View in PubMed
  • Association of telomere length with risk of complications in adult spinal deformity surgery: a pilot study of 43 patients J Neurosurg Spine. 2023 03 01; 38(3):331-339. . View in PubMed
  • The Effect of Systemic Tranexamic Acid on Hypercoagulable Complications and Perioperative Outcomes Following Three-Column Osteotomy for Adult Spinal Deformity Global Spine J. 2022 Apr; 12(3):423-431. . View in PubMed
  • Comparison of Intraoperative Indocyanine Green Videoangiography vs Postoperative Catheter Angiography to Confirm Microsurgical Occlusion of Spinal Dorsal Intradural Arteriovenous Fistulas Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2022 09 01; 23(3):206-211. . View in PubMed
  • Sacral Pedicle Subtraction Osteotomy for Treatment of High-Grade Spondylolisthesis: A Technical Note and Review of the Literature Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2022 08 01; 23(2):e84-e90. . View in PubMed
  • Superior Laryngeal Nerve Palsy After Anterior Cervical Diskectomy and Fusion: A Case Report and Cadaveric Description Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2022 08 01; 23(2):e152-e155. . View in PubMed
  • Kickstand Rod With Asymmetric Pedicle Subtraction Osteotomy for Treatment of Adult Kyphoscoliosis With Severe Coronal Imbalance Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2022 06 01; 22(6):e245-e250. . View in PubMed
  • CD97 is associated with mitogenic pathway activation, metabolic reprogramming, and immune microenvironment changes in glioblastoma Sci Rep. 2022 01 27; 12(1):1464. . View in PubMed
  • Management of Malpositioned Cervical Interfacet Spacers: An Institutional Case Series Cureus. 2021 Dec; 13(12):e20450. . View in PubMed
  • Preliminary experience using S1-alar iliac fixation with navigation: technical note J Neurosurg Spine. 2021 Aug 27; 35(6):774-779. . View in PubMed
  • Reduced proximal junctional failure with ligament augmentation in adult spinal deformity: a series of 242 cases with a minimum 1-year follow-up J Neurosurg Spine. 2021 Aug 20; 35(6):752-760. . View in PubMed
  • Telemedicine in Neurosurgery: Standardizing the Spinal Physical Examination Using A Modified Delphi Method Neurospine. 2021 Jun; 18(2):292-302. . View in PubMed
  • Hospital complications and costs of spinal arteriovenous malformations in the United States from 2002-2014 J Neurosurg Sci. 2021 Feb; 65(1):54-62. . View in PubMed
  • Evaluating the Clinical Utility and Cost of Imaging Strategies in Adults with Newly Diagnosed Primary Intradural Spinal Tumors World Neurosurg. 2021 03; 147:e239-e246. . View in PubMed
  • Cost Analysis of Outpatient Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion at an Academic Medical Center without Dedicated Ambulatory Surgery Centers World Neurosurg. 2021 02; 146:e940-e946. . View in PubMed
  • Implementation of Outpatient Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression at an Academic Medical Center without Ambulatory Surgery Centers: A Cost Analysis and Systematic Review World Neurosurg. 2021 02; 146:e961-e971. . View in PubMed
  • Role of c-Met/ß1 integrin complex in the metastatic cascade in breast cancer JCI Insight. 2021 06 22; 6(12). . View in PubMed
  • Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion With Cage Retrieval for the Treatment of Pseudarthrosis After Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Single-Institution Case Series Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2021 01 13; 20(2):164-173. . View in PubMed
  • A Type II Split Cord Malformation in an Adult Patient: An Operative Case Report Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2021 01 13; 20(2):E148-E151. . View in PubMed
  • Alignment, Classification, Clinical Evaluation, and Surgical Treatment for Adult Cervical Deformity: A Complete Guide Neurosurgery. 2021 03 15; 88(4):864-883. . View in PubMed
  • Commentary on Vertebral Body Sliding Osteotomy for Cervical Myelopathy With Rigid Kyphosis: A Technical Note Neurospine. 2020 Sep; 17(3):650-651. . View in PubMed
  • The impact of obesity on perioperative complications in patients undergoing anterior lumbar interbody fusion J Neurosurg Spine. 2020 Apr 24; 1-10. . View in PubMed
  • Anterior osteotomy for rigid cervical deformity correction J Spine Surg. 2020 Mar; 6(1):210-216. . View in PubMed
  • Posterior osteotomy techniques for rigid cervical deformity correction J Spine Surg. 2020 Mar; 6(1):274-279. . View in PubMed
  • Safety and efficacy of direct nerve root decompression via anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with uncinectomy for cervical radiculopathy J Spine Surg. 2020 Mar; 6(1):205-209. . View in PubMed
  • The effect of anterior lumbar interbody fusion staging order on perioperative complications in circumferential lumbar fusions performed within the same hospital admission Neurosurg Focus. 2020 09; 49(3):E6. . View in PubMed
  • Diagnostic Challenges in Primary Sacral Tumors and the Yield of Computed Tomography-Guided Needle Biopsy in the Modern Era World Neurosurg. 2020 06; 138:e806-e818. . View in PubMed
  • Minimally Invasive Pedicle Screw Fixation With Indirect Decompression by Ligamentotaxis in Pathological Fractures Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2020 08 01; 19(2):210-217. . View in PubMed
  • Thoracolumbar Vertebral Column Resection With Rectangular Endplate Cages Through a Posterior Approach: Surgical Techniques and Early Postoperative Outcomes Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2020 03 01; 18(3):329-338. . View in PubMed
  • Epidemiology and Socioeconomic Trends in Adult Spinal Deformity Care Neurosurgery. 2020 07 01; 87(1):25-32. . View in PubMed
  • Microsurgical Clipping Techniques and Outcomes for Paraclinoid Internal Carotid Artery Aneurysms Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2020 02 01; 18(2):183-192. . View in PubMed
  • Management of Noncatastrophic Internal Carotid Artery Injury in Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery Cureus. 2019 Aug 30; 11(8):e5537. . View in PubMed
  • Delirium Risk Factors and Associated Outcomes in a Neurosurgical Cohort: A Case-Control Study World Neurosurg. 2019 Jun; 126:e930-e936. . View in PubMed
  • Utility of neuromonitoring during lumbar pedicle subtraction osteotomy for adult spinal deformity J Neurosurg Spine. 2019 May 31; 31(3):397-407. . View in PubMed
  • Anatomical triangles defining routes to anterior communicating artery aneurysms: the junctional and precommunicating triangles and the role of dome projection J Neurosurg. 2019 Apr 05; 132(5):1517-1528. . View in PubMed
  • Estimating a price point for cost-benefit of bone morphogenetic protein in pseudarthrosis prevention for adult spinal deformity surgery J Neurosurg Spine. 2019 Mar 08; 1-8. . View in PubMed
  • Cone Beam Intraoperative Computed Tomography-based Image Guidance for Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Interbody Fusion J Vis Exp. 2019 08 06; (150). . View in PubMed
  • Perilesional edema associated with an intracranial calcifying pseudoneoplasm of the neuraxis in a child: case report and review of imaging features J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2018 Nov 01; 22(5):528-531. . View in PubMed
  • Interfacility neurosurgical transfers: an analysis of nontraumatic inpatient and emergency department transfers with implications for improvements in care J Neurosurg. 2018 Aug 03; 131(1):281-289. . View in PubMed
  • The Safety and Efficacy of CT-Guided, Fluoroscopy-Free Vertebroplasty in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery World Neurosurg. 2018 Aug; 116:e944-e950. . View in PubMed
  • Predictive Modeling of Length of Hospital Stay Following Adult Spinal Deformity Correction: Analysis of 653 Patients with an Accuracy of 75% within 2 Days World Neurosurg. 2018 Jul; 115:e422-e427. . View in PubMed
  • Radiation exposure with hybrid image-guidance-based minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion J Clin Neurosci. 2018 Feb; 48:122-127. . View in PubMed
  • Management of aortic injury during minimally invasive lateral lumbar interbody fusion Eur Spine J. 2018 07; 27(Suppl 3):538-543. . View in PubMed
  • Timing, severity of deficits, and clinical improvement after surgery for spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas J Neurosurg Spine. 2018 07; 29(1):85-91. . View in PubMed
  • Rare case of a recurrent juvenile ossifying fibroma of the lumbosacral spine J Neurosurg Spine. 2018 06; 28(6):647-653. . View in PubMed
  • Cost-effectiveness development for the postoperative care of craniotomy patients: a safe transitions pathway in neurological surgery Neurosurg Focus. 2018 05; 44(5):E19. . View in PubMed
  • Ligament augmentation for prevention of proximal junctional kyphosis and proximal junctional failure in adult spinal deformity J Neurosurg Spine. 2018 05; 28(5):512-519. . View in PubMed
  • The unreimbursed costs of preventing revision surgery in adult spinal deformity: analysis of cost-effectiveness of proximal junctional failure prevention with ligament augmentation Neurosurg Focus. 2018 05; 44(5):E13. . View in PubMed
  • Microsurgical clipping of ophthalmic artery aneurysms: surgical results and visual outcomes with 208 aneurysms J Neurosurg. 2018 12 01; 129(6):1511-1521. . View in PubMed
  • Tailored Extended Bifrontal Craniotomy for Anterior Skull Base Tumors: Anatomic Description of a Modified Surgical Technique and Case Series Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2018 04 01; 14(4):386-394. . View in PubMed
  • Preoperative Prediction of the Necessity for Anterior Clinoidectomy During Microsurgical Clipping of Ruptured Posterior Communicating Artery Aneurysms World Neurosurg. 2018 Jan; 109:e493-e501. . View in PubMed
  • Minimally Invasive Lateral Retroperitoneal Approach for Resection of Extraforaminal Lumbar Plexus Schwannomas: Operative Techniques and Literature Review Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2018 11 01; 15(5):516-521. . View in PubMed
  • Mini-open spinal column shortening for the treatment of adult tethered cord syndrome J Clin Neurosci. 2017 Oct; 44:315-319. . View in PubMed
  • Magnitude, Location, and Factors Related to Regional and Global Sagittal Alignment Change in Long Adult Deformity Constructs: Report of 183 Patients With 2-Year Follow-up Clin Spine Surg. 2017 Aug; 30(7):E948-E953. . View in PubMed
  • Tubular microdiscectomy: techniques, complication avoidance, and review of the literature Neurosurg Focus. 2017 Aug; 43(2):E7. . View in PubMed
  • United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 Scores Directly Correlate with American Board of Neurological Surgery Scores: A Single-Institution Experience World Neurosurg. 2017 Feb; 98:427-431. . View in PubMed
  • Sacral epidural arteriovenous fistulas: imitators of spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas with different pathologic anatomy: report of three cases and review of the literature Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2017 06; 159(6):1087-1092. . View in PubMed
  • Erratum to: Surgical resection of fourth ventricular ependymomas: case series and technical nuances J Neurooncol. 2017 01; 131(2):423. . View in PubMed
  • Neurological outcomes and surgical complications in 221 spinal nerve sheath tumors J Neurosurg Spine. 2017 Jan; 26(1):103-111. . View in PubMed
  • Proximal Junctional Kyphosis Prevention Strategies: A Video Technique Guide Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2017 10 01; 13(5):581-585. . View in PubMed
  • Pleomorphic Xanthoastrocytoma with Anaplastic Features: Retrospective Case Series World Neurosurg. 2016 Nov; 95:368-374. . View in PubMed
  • Impact of Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the Pathogenesis and Outcome of Patients with Glioblastoma Multiforme Brain Tumor Res Treat. 2016 Oct; 4(2):77-86. . View in PubMed
  • Comparative Sensitivity of Intraoperative Motor Evoked Potential Monitoring in Predicting Postoperative Neurologic Deficits: Nondegenerative versus Degenerative Myelopathy Global Spine J. 2016 Aug; 6(5):452-8. . View in PubMed
  • Results of Spinal Fusion After Spinal Nerve Sheath Tumor Resection World Neurosurg. 2016 Jun; 90:6-13. . View in PubMed
  • Techniques for the Application of Stereotactic Head Frames Based on a 25-Year Experience Cureus. 2016 Mar 25; 8(3):e543. . View in PubMed
  • The limited capacity of malignant glioma-derived exosomes to suppress peripheral immune effectors J Neuroimmunol. 2016 Jan 15; 290:103-8. . View in PubMed
  • Surgical resection of fourth ventricular ependymomas: case series and technical nuances J Neurooncol. 2016 11; 130(2):341-349. . View in PubMed
  • The transsylvian approach for resection of insular gliomas: technical nuances of splitting the Sylvian fissure J Neurooncol. 2016 11; 130(2):283-287. . View in PubMed
  • Association of tumor location, extent of resection, and neurofibromatosis status with clinical outcomes for 221 spinal nerve sheath tumors Neurosurg Focus. 2015 Aug; 39(2):E5. . View in PubMed
  • Pigmented villonodular synovitis of the temporomandibular joint with intracranial extension: A case series and systematic review Head Neck. 2015 Aug; 37(8):1213-24. . View in PubMed
  • Survival impact of time to initiation of chemoradiotherapy after resection of newly diagnosed glioblastoma J Neurosurg. 2015 May; 122(5):1144-50. . View in PubMed
  • Intraoperative Conversion from Endoscopic to Open Transcortical-Transventricular Removal of Colloid Cysts as a Salvage Procedure Cureus. 2015 Feb; 7(2):e247. . View in PubMed
  • Proportional upregulation of CD97 isoforms in glioblastoma and glioblastoma-derived brain tumor initiating cells PLoS One. 2015; 10(2):e0111532. . View in PubMed
  • Epidermal growth factor-like module containing mucin-like hormone receptor 2 expression in gliomas J Neurooncol. 2015 Jan; 121(1):53-61. . View in PubMed
  • Stable luciferase expression does not alter immunologic or in vivo growth properties of GL261 murine glioma cells J Transl Med. 2014 Dec 03; 12:345. . View in PubMed
  • Survival outcomes of giant cell glioblastoma: institutional experience in the management of 20 patients J Clin Neurosci. 2014 Dec; 21(12):2129-34. . View in PubMed
  • Effects of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation on overall survival in children with choroid plexus carcinoma J Neurooncol. 2014 Nov; 120(2):353-60. . View in PubMed
  • Etiology of lumbar lordosis and its pathophysiology: a review of the evolution of lumbar lordosis, and the mechanics and biology of lumbar degeneration Neurosurg Focus. 2014 May; 36(5):E1. . View in PubMed
  • Immunocompetent murine models for the study of glioblastoma immunotherapy J Transl Med. 2014 Apr 29; 12:107. . View in PubMed
  • Current management of choroid plexus carcinomas Neurosurg Rev. 2014 Apr; 37(2):179-92; discussion 192. . View in PubMed
  • Use of thrombin-based hemostatic matrix during meningioma resection: a potential risk factor for perioperative thromboembolic events Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2014 Apr; 119:116-20. . View in PubMed
  • Surgical outcomes in spinal cord ependymomas and the importance of extent of resection in children and young adults J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2014 Apr; 13(4):393-9. . View in PubMed
  • The role of epidermal growth factor-like module containing mucin-like hormone receptor 2 in human cancers Oncol Rev. 2014 Mar 17; 8(1):242. . View in PubMed
  • Surgical risk factors for post-operative pneumonia following meningioma resection Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2014 Mar; 118:76-9. . View in PubMed
  • Cytokine responsiveness of CD8(+) T cells is a reproducible biomarker for the clinical efficacy of dendritic cell vaccination in glioblastoma patients J Immunother Cancer. 2014; 2:10. . View in PubMed
  • Gross total resection improves overall survival in children with choroid plexus carcinoma J Neurooncol. 2014 Jan; 116(1):179-85. . View in PubMed
  • PI3K pathway inhibitors: potential prospects as adjuncts to vaccine immunotherapy for glioblastoma Immunotherapy. 2014; 6(6):737-53. . View in PubMed
  • Histologic grade and extent of resection are associated with survival in pediatric spinal cord ependymomas Childs Nerv Syst. 2013 Nov; 29(11):2057-64. . View in PubMed
  • CD97 is a multifunctional leukocyte receptor with distinct roles in human cancers (Review) Int J Oncol. 2013 Nov; 43(5):1343-50. . View in PubMed
  • Neuro Oncol. 2013 Nov; 15(11):1518-31. . View in PubMed
  • Spinal ependymomas: benefits of extent of resection for different histological grades J Clin Neurosci. 2013 Oct; 20(10):1390-7. . View in PubMed
  • Tumor control after surgery for spinal myxopapillary ependymomas: distinct outcomes in adults versus children: a systematic review J Neurosurg Spine. 2013 Oct; 19(4):471-6. . View in PubMed
  • Tuberculoma of the central nervous system J Clin Neurosci. 2013 Oct; 20(10):1333-41. . View in PubMed
  • Falcine and parasagittal chondrosarcomas J Clin Neurosci. 2013 Sep; 20(9):1232-6. . View in PubMed
  • Disseminated progression of glioblastoma after treatment with bevacizumab Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2013 Sep; 115(9):1795-801. . View in PubMed
  • G-protein coupled receptor kinase (GRK)-5 regulates proliferation of glioblastoma-derived stem cells J Clin Neurosci. 2013 Jul; 20(7):1014-8. . View in PubMed
  • Intraoperative neuromonitoring with MEPs and prediction of postoperative neurological deficits in patients undergoing surgery for cervical and cervicothoracic myelopathy Neurosurg Focus. 2013 Jul; 35(1):E7. . View in PubMed
  • Gliomas promote immunosuppression through induction of B7-H1 expression in tumor-associated macrophages Clin Cancer Res. 2013 Jun 15; 19(12):3165-75. . View in PubMed
  • The relative patient benefit of gross total resection in adult choroid plexus papillomas J Clin Neurosci. 2013 Jun; 20(6):808-12. . View in PubMed
  • Surgical outcomes in choroid plexus papillomas: an institutional experience J Neurooncol. 2013 May; 113(1):117-25. . View in PubMed
  • Prognosis by tumor location for pediatric spinal cord ependymomas J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2013 Mar; 11(3):282-8. . View in PubMed
  • Choroid plexus papillomas: advances in molecular biology and understanding of tumorigenesis Neuro Oncol. 2013 Mar; 15(3):255-67. . View in PubMed
  • Prognosis by tumor location in adults with spinal ependymomas J Neurosurg Spine. 2013 Mar; 18(3):226-35. . View in PubMed
  • Adjuvant radiotherapy delays recurrence following subtotal resection of spinal cord ependymomas Neuro Oncol. 2013 Feb; 15(2):208-15. . View in PubMed
  • The prognostic implications of Hyam’s subtype for patients with Kadish stage C esthesioneuroblastoma J Clin Neurosci. 2013 Feb; 20(2):281-6. . View in PubMed
  • MIB-1 labeling index predicts recurrence in intraventricular central neurocytomas J Clin Neurosci. 2013 Jan; 20(1):89-93. . View in PubMed
  • Overexpression of CD97 confers an invasive phenotype in glioblastoma cells and is associated with decreased survival of glioblastoma patients PLoS One. 2013; 8(4):e62765. . View in PubMed
  • Neuroanatomical correlation of the House-Brackmann grading system in the microsurgical treatment of vestibular schwannoma Neurosurg Focus. 2012 Sep; 33(3):E7. . View in PubMed
  • Challenges in linear accelerator radiotherapy for chordomas and chondrosarcomas of the skull base: focus on complications Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2012 Jun 01; 83(2):542-51. . View in PubMed
  • Overexpression of calcium-permeable glutamate receptors in glioblastoma derived brain tumor initiating cells PLoS One. 2012; 7(10):e47846. . View in PubMed
  • Monitoring of regulatory T cell frequencies and expression of CTLA-4 on T cells, before and after DC vaccination, can predict survival in GBM patients PLoS One. 2012; 7(4):e32614. . View in PubMed
  • Clinical characteristics and diagnostic imaging of epidermoid tumors J Clin Neurosci. 2011 Sep; 18(9):1158-62. . View in PubMed
  • The tumor biology and molecular characteristics of medulloblastoma identifying prognostic factors associated with survival outcomes and prognosis J Clin Neurosci. 2011 Jul; 18(7):886-90. . View in PubMed
  • From the bench to the bedside: Spinal cord regeneration, niacin for stroke, magnetic nanoparticles, stimulation for epilepsy, role of galanins in epilepsy, functions of the supramarginal gyri, and the role of inflammation in postoperative cognitive disturbances Surg Neurol Int. 2010 Oct 20; 1:66. . View in PubMed
  • Genomewide clonal analysis of lethal mutations in the Drosophila melanogaster eye: comparison of the X chromosome and autosomes Genetics. 2007 Oct; 177(2):689-97. . View in PubMed
  • Failure in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: A Comprehensive Review of Current Rates, Mechanisms, and Prevention Strategies Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2022 Oct 01; 47(19):1337-1350. . View in PubMed

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