Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Feb 2009
Biography Historical ArticleWilliam S. Halsted and Harvey W. Cushing: reflections on their complex association.
William Stewart Halsted, the father of modern surgery, and Harvey Williams Cushing, the father of neurosurgery, are remembered for their countless innovations and contributions to the discipline of surgery. Between 1896 and 1912, they worked together at Johns Hopkins Hospital making many of their respective achievements possible. In the later years, their complex relationship, somewhat strained during Cushing's residency, grew into a mutual respect and deep appreciation for one another. In this offering, the authors attempt to elucidate the evolution of this complex relationship.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Feb 2009
Significant reduction in stereotactic and functional neurosurgical hardware infection after local neomycin/polymyxin application.
Hardware infection is a common occurrence after the implantation of neurostimulation and intrathecal drug delivery devices. The authors investigated whether the application of a neomycin/polymyxin solution directly into the surgical wound decreases the incidence of perioperative infection. ⋯ The combination of local neomycin/polymyxin with systemic antibiotic therapy can lead to a significantly lower rate of postoperative infection than when systemic antibiotics are used alone.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Feb 2009
Neuronavigation and fluoroscopy-assisted subdural strip electrode positioning: a simple method to increase intraoperative accuracy of strip localization in epilepsy surgery.
For localization of the epileptogenic zone in cases of focal epilepsy, detailed clinical investigations, imaging studies, and electrophysiological methods are used. If the noninvasive presurgical evaluation provides insufficient data, intracranial electrodes are necessary. Computed tomography and MR imaging techniques are the gold standard for localization of the postoperative position of the implanted intracranial electrode contacts. ⋯ There were no complications with this procedure and the prolongation of surgery time is acceptable. Compared to previously published electrode placement methods, this one enhances the accuracy of electrode placement at occipital, parietal, frontal, or interhemispheric regions as well. Intraoperative visualization of the electrodes with fluoroscopy combined with neuronavigation during positioning through a bur hole gives the neurosurgeon the ability to control the real position of the electrode over the gyri during the procedure.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Feb 2009
Editorial Comment Biography Historical ArticleWilliam S. Halsted and Harvey W. Cushing: reflections on their complex association.