Rajiv Saigal, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Neurological Surgery
School of Medicine

His research focuses on bioengineering approaches for treating spinal cord injury, especially on polymer-based approaches for controlled drug release, electrical stimulation and techniques to optimize spinal cord perfusion. He chairs the North American Spine Society Section on Spinal Cord injury. He started his career at the University of Washington, where he was PI of the Neurosurgical Biomaterials and Engineering lab.

Dr. Saigal completed neurosurgery residency at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He then completed an orthopedic spine deformity fellowship at Scripps and the San Diego Spine Foundation, focusing on less invasive techniques for spinal deformity. He completed a second spine fellowship at the University of Miami, focusing on minimally invasive spine surgery, including endoscopic fusion. Prior to residency, Dr. Saigal completed a PhD in medical engineering at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and an MD at the Tufts University School of Medicine. He also has a B.Sc. with highest honors in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech and a M.Sc. in biomedical engineering from Aalborg University in Denmark.

He is the recipient of awards for research, teaching, and leadership, including the Global Spine Congress Best Papers, Boldrey Young Investigator Award, UCSF Neurosurgery Research and Rosegay awards, and AOA. His research has been funded by the NSF, Washington Research Foundation, UW Institute for Neuroengineering, Washington State Spinal Cord Injury Consortium, ITHS, and the Whitaker Foundation.

• Safety and comparative efficacy of initiating low-molecular-weight heparin within 24 hours of injury or surgery for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in patients with spinal cord injury: a prospective TRACK-SCI registry study.
  Neurosurgical focus 2023 Lui A, Park C, Chryssikos T, Radabaugh H, Patel A, Aabedi AA, Ferguson AR, Torres Espin A, Mummaneni PV, Dhall SS, Duong-Fernandez X, Saigal R, Chou A, Pan J, Singh V, Hemmerle DD, Kyritsis N, Talbott…
• Three Column Cervical Fracture-Dislocation in a 3-Year-Old Boy.
  Cureus 2022 Sivakanthan S, Feroze A, Eaton J, Saigal R
• Drug delivery to the central nervous system.
  Nature reviews. Materials 2021 Nance E, Pun SH, Saigal R, Sellers DL
• Impact of surgeon rhBMP-2 cost awareness on complication rates and health system costs for spinal arthrodesis.
  Neurosurgical focus 2021 McGrath M, Feroze AH, Nistal D, Robinson E, Saigal R
• Commentary: Prognostic Factors Associated With Surviving Less Than 3 Months vs Greater Than 3 Years Specific to Spine Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy and Late Adverse Events.
  Neurosurgery 2021 Eastman BM, Saigal R, Hofstetter CP, Foote M, Mayr NA, Lo SS
• Impact of New Motor Deficit on HRQOL After Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: Subanalysis From Scoli Risk 1 Prospective Study.
  Spine 2021 Saigal R, Lau D, Berven SH, Carreon L, Dekutoski MB, Kebaish KM, Qiu Y, Matsuyama Y, Kelly M, Dahl BT, Mehdian H, Pellisé F, Lewis SJ, Cheung KMC, Shaffrey CI, Fehlings MG, Lenke LG, Ames CP, AOSpine …
• In Reply to Letter to Editor Regarding "Economic Impact of COVID-19 on a High-Volume Academic Neurosurgical Practice".
  World neurosurgery 2021 Sivakanthan S, Ko A, Saigal R
• 2021 Young Investigator Award Winner: Anatomic Gradients in the Microbiology of Spinal Fusion Surgical Site Infection and Resistance to Surgical Antimicrobial Prophylaxis.
  Spine 2021 Long DR, Bryson-Cahn C, Pergamit R, Tavolaro C, Saigal R, Chan JD, Lynch JB
• The Dancing Cord: Inherent Spinal Cord Motion and Its Effect on Cord Dose in Spine Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy.
  Neurosurgery 2020 Oztek MA, Mayr NA, Mossa-Basha M, Nyflot M, Sponseller PA, Wu W, Hofstetter CP, Saigal R, Bowen SR, Hippe DS, Yuh WTC, Stewart RD, Lo SS
• Commentary: Mature Imaging-Based Outcomes Supporting Local Control for Complex Reirradiation Salvage Spine Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy.
  Neurosurgery 2020 Vellayappan BA, Foote M, Chang EL, Suh JH, Saigal R, Hofstetter CP, Lo SS
• Analysis of Normal High-Frequency Intracranial Pressure Values and Treatment Threshold in Neurocritical Care Patients: Insights into Normal Values and a Potential Treatment Threshold.
  JAMA neurology 2020 Hawryluk GWJ, Nielson JL, Huie JR, Zimmermann L, Saigal R, Ding Q, Hirschi R, Zeiler FA, Ferguson AR, Manley GT
• Anterior Column Realignment: Analysis of Neurological Risk and Radiographic Outcomes.
  Neurosurgery 2020 Saigal R, Akbarnia BA, Eastlack RK, Bagheri A, Tran S, Brown D, Bagheri R, Mundis GM
• Economic Impact of COVID-19 on a High-Volume Academic Neurosurgical Practice.
  World neurosurgery 2020 Sivakanthan S, Pan J, Kim L, Ellenbogen R, Saigal R
• Commentary: Local Control and Toxicity of Multilevel Spine Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy.
  Neurosurgery 2020 Dunne EM, Liu M, Hofstetter C, Saigal R, Lo SS
• Commentary: Postoperative Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Spinal Metastases and the Impact of Epidural Disease Grade.
  Neurosurgery 2020 Vellayappan B, Kumar N, Foote M, Hofstetter CP, Saigal R, Chao ST, Lo SS
• Strategies to Mitigate Toxicities From Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Spine Metastases.
  Neurosurgery 2019 Schaub SK, Tseng YD, Chang EL, Sahgal A, Saigal R, Hofstetter CP, Foote M, Ko AL, Yuh WTC, Mossa-Basha M, Mayr NA, Lo SS
• Enhanced perioperative care and decreased cost and length of stay after elective major spinal surgery.
  Neurosurgical focus 2019 Carr DA, Saigal R, Zhang F, Bransford RJ, Bellabarba C, Dagal A
• Stereotactic body radiotherapy for benign spinal tumors: Meningiomas, schwannomas, and neurofibromas.
  Journal of radiosurgery and SBRT 2019 Hwang L, Okoye CC, Patel RB, Sahgal A, Foote M, Redmond KJ, Hofstetter C, Saigal R, Mossa-Basha M, Yuh W, Mayr NA, Chao ST, Chang EL, Lo SS
• Analysis of high-frequency PbtO2 measures in traumatic brain injury: insights into the treatment threshold.
  Journal of neurosurgery 2018 Hirschi R, Hawryluk GWJ, Nielson JL, Huie JR, Zimmermann LL, Saigal R, Ding Q, Ferguson AR, Manley G
• Failure of Mean Arterial Pressure Goals to Improve Outcomes Following Penetrating Spinal Cord Injury.
  Neurosurgery 2016 Readdy WJ, Saigal R, Whetstone WD, Mefford AN, Ferguson AR, Talbott JF, Inoue T, Bresnahan JC, Beattie MS, Pan J, Manley GT, Dhall SS
• Higher Mean Arterial Pressure Values Correlate with Neurologic Improvement in Patients with Initially Complete Spinal Cord Injuries.
  World neurosurgery 2016 Catapano JS, John Hawryluk GW, Whetstone W, Saigal R, Ferguson A, Talbott J, Bresnahan J, Dhall S, Pan J, Beattie M, Manley G
• Anterior Column Realignment (ACR) in Adult Sagittal Deformity Correction: Technique and Review of the Literature.
  Spine 2016 Saigal R, Mundis GM, Eastlack R, Uribe JS, Phillips FM, Akbarnia BA
• Mean Arterial Blood Pressure Correlates with Neurological Recovery after Human Spinal Cord Injury: Analysis of High Frequency Physiologic Data.
  Journal of neurotrauma 2015 Hawryluk G, Whetstone W, Saigal R, Ferguson A, Talbott J, Bresnahan J, Dhall S, Pan J, Beattie M, Manley G
• Complications and outcomes of vasopressor usage in acute traumatic central cord syndrome.
  Journal of neurosurgery. Spine 2015 Readdy WJ, Whetstone WD, Ferguson AR, Talbott JF, Inoue T, Saigal R, Bresnahan JC, Beattie MS, Pan JZ, Manley GT, Dhall SS
• Adult Spinal Deformity Patients Recall Fewer Than 50% of the Risks Discussed in the Informed Consent Process Preoperatively and the Recall Rate Worsens Significantly in the Postoperative Period.
  Spine 2015 Saigal R, Clark AJ, Scheer JK, Smith JS, Bess S, Mummaneni PV, McCarthy IM, Hart RA, Kebaish KM, Klineberg EO, Deviren V, Schwab F, Shaffrey CI, Ames CP
• The Brain and Spinal Injury Center score: a novel, simple, and reproducible method for assessing the severity of acute cervical spinal cord injury with axial T2-weighted MRI findings.
  Journal of neurosurgery. Spine 2015 Talbott JF, Whetstone WD, Readdy WJ, Ferguson AR, Bresnahan JC, Saigal R, Hawryluk GW, Beattie MS, Mabray MC, Pan JZ, Manley GT, Dhall SS
• The long-term effects of repetitive mild head injuries in sports.
  Neurosurgery 2014 Saigal R, Berger MS
• Return to play for neurosurgical patients.
  World neurosurgery 2014 Saigal R, Batjer HH, Ellenbogen RG, Berger MS
• Unilateral versus bilateral iliac screws for spinopelvic fixation: are two screws better than one?
  Neurosurgical focus 2014 Saigal R, Lau D, Wadhwa R, Le H, Khashan M, Berven S, Chou D, Mummaneni PV
• Minimally invasive extracavitary transpedicular corpectomy for the management of spinal tumors.
  Neurosurgery clinics of North America 2014 Saigal R, Wadhwa R, Mummaneni PV, Chou D
• Conversion of high sacral to midsacral amputation via S-2 nerve preservation during partial S-2 sacrectomy for chordoma.
  Journal of neurosurgery. Spine 2014 Saigal R, Lu DC, Deng DY, Chou D
• Analysis of the direct cost of surgery for four diagnostic categories of adult spinal deformity.
  The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society 2013 McCarthy IM, Hostin RA, O'Brien MF, Fleming NS, Ogola G, Kudyakov R, Richter KM, Saigal R, Berven SH, Ames CP, International Spine Study Group
• Targeted reduction in neurosurgical laboratory utilization: resident-led effort at a single academic institution.
  Journal of neurosurgery 2013 Han SJ, Saigal R, Rolston JD, Cheng JS, Lau CY, Mistry RI, McDermott MW, Berger MS
• Cost-Effectiveness of Surgical Treatment for Adult Spinal Deformity: A Comparison of Dollars per Quality of Life Improvement Across Health Domains.
  Spine deformity 2013 McCarthy I, Hostin R, O'Brien M, Fleming N, Ogola G, Kudyakov R, Richter K, Saigal R, Berven S, Deviren V, Ames C, International Spine Study Group
• Health economic analysis of adult deformity surgery.
  Neurosurgery clinics of North America 2013 McCarthy I, Hostin R, O'Brien M, Saigal R, Ames CP
• Electrical stimulation via a biocompatible conductive polymer directs retinal progenitor cell differentiation.
  Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference 2013 Saigal R, Cimetta E, Tandon N, Zhou J, Langer R, Young M, Vunjak-Novakovic G, Redenti S
• Three-dimensional conductive constructs for nerve regeneration.
  Journal of biomedical materials research. Part A 2009 George PM, Saigal R, Lawlor MW, Moore MJ, LaVan DA, Marini RP, Selig M, Makhni M, Burdick JA, Langer R, Kohane DS
• Effects of electrical stimulation in C2C12 muscle constructs.
  Journal of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine 2008 Park H, Bhalla R, Saigal R, Radisic M, Watson N, Langer R, Vunjak-Novakovic G
• Locomotor-related networks in the lumbosacral enlargement of the adult spinal cat: activation through intraspinal microstimulation.
  IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society 2006 Guevremont L, Renzi CG, Norton JA, Kowalczewski J, Saigal R, Mushahwar VK
• Could cortical signals control intraspinal stimulators? A theoretical evaluation.
  IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society 2006 Mushahwar VK, Guevremont L, Saigal R
• Motor neuron firing dysfunction in spastic patients with primary lateral sclerosis.
  Journal of neurophysiology 2005 Floeter MK, Zhai P, Saigal R, Kim Y, Statland J
• Intraspinal microstimulation generates functional movements after spinal-cord injury.
  IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society 2004 Saigal R, Renzi C, Mushahwar VK
• The somatotopic arrangement of motor neurons in the spinal cord of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). B. Lumbosacral plexus.
  Acta anatomica 1972 Rao GS, Saigal RP, Sahu S