Basic

• Effect of Aging on the Neuroimmune Response During Peripheral Nerve Regeneration
• Schwann cell reprogramming via age-related differences in immune cell interactions
• Immunomodulatory strategies to enhance peripheral nerve regeneration]

Translational

• Immune response to currently used materials in nerve surgery
• Scaffold and bioactive materials development
• Computational modeling of fascicular behavior of peripheral nerves
• Dosing and efficacy of therapeutic electrical stimulation

Clinical

• Retrospective and Prospective Studies on Adult and pediatric brachial plexus injury
• Clinical trials in nerve transfers for cervical spine injury and brachial plexus injury
• Ultrasound to evaluate the prognosis of peripheral nerve injury and reconstruction

Selected Publications

• Update to Management of Acute Scaphoid Fractures. Journal Article J Am Acad Orthop Surg · August 1, 2023
  The scaphoid is the most commonly fractured carpal bone. With high clinical suspicion and negative radiographs, expedient evaluation by CT or MRI has been recommended. When treating nondisplaced or minimally displaced scaphoid waist and distal pole fractures ...Full text
   
• Risk of Dislocation and Revision Following Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty in Patients With Prior Lumbar Fusion With Spinopelvic Fixation. Journal Article J Arthroplasty · April 2023
  BACKGROUND: The effect of spinopelvic fixation in addition to lumbar spinal fusion (LSF) on dislocation/instability and revision in patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) has not been reported previously. METHODS: The PearlDiver Research ...Full text
   
• Complications and Reoperation Following Surgery for Concurrent Carpal Tunnel and Cervical Spine Compression. Journal Article Hand (N Y) · March 22, 2023
  BACKGROUND: Patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) may also have cervical radiculopathy (CR) or vice versa, potentially requiring carpal tunnel release (CTR) and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). This study evaluates whether there is an i ...Full text
   
• Upper Extremity Neuropathies Following Severe COVID-19 Infection: A Multicenter Case Series. Journal Article World Neurosurg · March 2023
  OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study is to examine presentation, injury patterns, and clinical course, for COVID-19-related peripheral nerve injury following mechanical ventilation. METHODS: A multicenter retrospective study of patients with COVID-19 complications ...Full text
   
• Understanding Health Economics in Hand Surgery. Journal Article J Hand Surg Am · March 2023Rising health care costs in the United States, besides evolving payment models that emphasize value instead of volume, has led to an increasing number of studies evaluating hand surgery from an economic perspective. To better understand such econo ...Full text
   
• Effect of Hospital Characteristics on Performance of Pediatric Digit Replantation in the United States. Journal Article J Hand Microsurg · February 2023
  Introduction Utilize a national pediatric database to assess whether hospital characteristics such as location, teaching status, ownership, or size impact the performance of pediatric digit replantation following traumatic digit amputation in the United S ...Full text
   
• Matrilin-2 within a three-dimensional lysine-modified chitosan porous scaffold enhances Schwann cell migration and axonal outgrowth for peripheral nerve regeneration. Journal Article Front Bioeng Biotechnol · 2023Background: Matrilin-2 is a key extracellular matrix protein involved in peripheral nerve regeneration. We sought to develop a biomimetic scaffold to enhance peripheral nerve regeneration by incorporating matriline-2 within a chitosan-derived porous scaffold...Full text
   
• Restoration of hamstring function following sciatic nerve resection at the greater sciatic foramen with reconstruction involving acellular nerve allograft and vascularized sural nerve autograft: A case report. Journal Article Microsurgery · November 2022Segmental loss of the sciatic nerve secondary to oncologic resection or trauma is detrimental to hamstring and leg function. The diameter of this nerve and the length of its axons spanning the lower extremity creates significant challenges in reconstruction ...Full text
   
• Four-Corner Arthrodesis versus Proximal Row Carpectomy: Risk Factors and Complications Associated with Prolonged Postoperative Opioid Use Journal Article Journal of Hand and Microsurgery · April 1, 2022Introduction This article compares opioid use patterns following four-corner arthrodesis (FCA) and proximal row carpectomy (PRC) and identifies risk factors and complications associated with prolonged opioid consumption. Materials and Methods The PearlDive ...Full text
   
• A Nationwide Epidemiological Analysis of Finger Infections Presenting to Emergency Departments in the United States From 2012 to 2016. Journal Article Hand (N Y) · March 2022Background: There is a paucity of literature exploring the epidemiology of finger infections presented to emergency departments (EDs) nationally. The purpose of this study was to determine the national incidence of and risk factors for finger inf ...Full text
   
• Variability in Hand Surgery Training Among Plastic and Orthopaedic Surgery Residents.Journal Article J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev · January 4, 2022
  BACKGROUND: A career in hand surgery in the United States requires a 1-year fellowship after residency training. Different residency specialty programs may vary in case volume. The purpose of this study was to characterize variation in hand surgery training...Full text
   
• Understanding Health Economics in Joint Replacement Surgery. Journal Article Orthopedics · 2022The number of arthroplasty procedures has been rising significantly, contributing to a notable portion of the nation's healthcare spending. This growth has contributed to an increase in the number of healthcare economic studies in the field of ad ...Full text
   
• Tumor: Stroma Interaction and Cancer. Journal Article Exp Suppl · 2022The understanding of how normal cells transform into tumor cells and progress to invasive cancer and metastases continues to evolve. The tumor mass is comprised of a heterogeneous population of cells that include recruited host immune cells, stromal cells, ...Full text
   
• Temporal and Geographic Trends in Medicare Reimbursement of Primary and Revision Shoulder Arthroplasty: 2000 to 2020. Journal Article J Am Acad Orthop Surg · December 15, 2021
  INTRODUCTION: A comprehensive understanding of the trends for financial reimbursement of shoulder arthroplasty is critical as progress is made toward achieving sustainable payment models in orthopaedics. This study analyzes Medicare reimbursement trends f ...Full text
   
• Influence of Preseason Versus In-Season Play on Achilles Tendon Injuries in the National Football League. Journal Article Orthop J Sports Med · December 2021BACKGROUND: A ruptured Achilles tendon (AT) can sideline a player for 6 to 12 months and reduce their power rankings by over 50 percent. Previous research has compared AT rupture rates in different game conditions. PURPOSE: To determine environmental and phy ...Full text
   
• Pediatric Digit Replantation Following Traumatic Amputation: Nationwide Analysis of Patient Selection, Outcomes, and Cost. Journal Article Hand (N Y) · September 2021Background: Indications for replantation following traumatic digit amputations are more liberal in the pediatric population than in adults. However, the delineation of patient selection within pediatrics and their outcomes has yet to be elucidated. This study uses ...Full text
   
• Epidemiology of Peripheral Nerve Injuries in Sports, Exercise, and Recreation in the United States, 2009 - 2018. Journal Article Phys Sportsmed · September 2021
  OBJECTIVE: To assess rates of peripheral nerve injuries (PNI) in sports, exercise, and recreational activities. METHODS: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) was used to query nerve injuries presented to emergency departments across t ...Full text
   
• Understanding Health Economics in Spine Surgery. Journal Article Jbjs Rev · March 5, 2021»: The United States has faced substantial increases in healthcare expenditure, with specifically significant increases in spine surgery costs. »: Many different formulas are utilized to determine value in spine surgery, including cost-benefit analyses, cost-e ...Full text
   
• Gorham Disease Limited to the Left Upper Extremity Without Hand Involvement. Journal Article J Hand Surg Am · February 2021
  This case report presents a young female patient with a history of Gorham disease who sustained pathologic fractures of the left radius and ulna after a low-impact fall. Massive osteolysis of the left forearm and wrist was noted on plain radiographs ...Full text
   
• Risk of Postoperative Complications and Revision Surgery Following Robot-assisted Posterior Lumbar Spinal Fusion. Journal Article Spine (Phila Pa 1976) · December 15, 2020
  STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective Study. OBJECTIVE: This investigation examined matched cohorts of lumbar spinal fusion (LSF) patients undergoing robot-assisted and conventional LSF to compare the risk of revision, 30-day readmission, 30-day complications, and posto ...Full text

If you have an interest to join our lab, please contact Neill.Li@duke.edu.