Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Nov 2016
Sir Hugh Cairns and World War II British advances in head injury management, diffuse brain injury, and concussion: an Oxford tale.
The authors trace the Oxford, England, roots of World War II (WWII)-related advances in head injury management, the biomechanics of concussion and brain injury, and postwar delineation of pathological findings in severe concussion and diffuse brain injury in man. The prominent figure in these developments was the charismatic and innovative Harvey Cushing-trained neurosurgeon Sir Hugh Cairns. Cairns, who was to closely emulate Cushing's surgical and scholarly approach, is credited with saving thousands of lives during WWII by introducing and implementing innovative programs such as helmets for motorcyclists, mobile neurosurgical units near battle zones, and the military usage of penicillin. ⋯ During this time Cairns also trained the first full-time female neurosurgeon. Pivotal in supporting animal research demonstrating the critical role of acceleration in the causation of concussion, Cairns recruited the physicist Hylas Holbourn, whose research implicated rotary acceleration and shear strains as particularly damaging. Cairns' work in military medicine and head injury remain highly influential in efforts to mitigate and manage brain injury.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Nov 2016
Stability of hearing preservation and regeneration capacity of the cochlear nerve following vestibular schwannoma surgery via a retrosigmoid approach.
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this research was to examine the stability of long-term hearing preservation and the regeneration capacity of the cochlear nerve following vestibular schwannoma (VS) surgery in a prospective study. METHODS A total of 112 patients were recruited for a randomized multicenter trial between January 2010 and April 2012 to investigate the efficacy of prophylactic nimodipine treatment versus no prophylactic nimodipine treatment in VS surgery. For the present investigation, both groups were pooled to compare hearing abilities in the early postoperative course and 1 year after the surgery. ⋯ CONCLUSIONS There is no significant change in cochlear nerve function between the early postoperative course and 1 year after VS surgery. The result of hearing performance, as evaluated by early postoperative audiometry after VS surgery, seems to be a reliable prognosticator for future hearing ability. Clinical trial registration nos.: 2009-012088-32 ( clinicaltrialsregister.eu ) and DRKS 00000328 ("AkNiPro," drks-neu.uniklinik-freiburg.de/drks_web/ ).
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Journal of neurosurgery · Nov 2016
Virtual and stereoscopic anatomy: when virtual reality meets medical education.
OBJECTIVE The authors sought to construct, implement, and evaluate an interactive and stereoscopic resource for teaching neuroanatomy, accessible from personal computers. METHODS Forty fresh brains (80 hemispheres) were dissected. Images of areas of interest were captured using a manual turntable and processed and stored in a 5337-image database. ⋯ No statistical differences between Groups 2 and 3 were found in the practicum. However, there were significant differences when Groups 2 and 3 were compared with Group 1 (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The authors conclude that this method promoted further improvement in knowledge for students and fostered significantly higher learning when compared with traditional teaching resources.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Nov 2016
Diffusion tensor imaging assessment of microstructural brainstem integrity in Chiari malformation Type I.
OBJECTIVE The diagnosis of Chiari malformation Type I (CM-I) is primarily based on the degree of cerebellar tonsillar herniation even though it does not always correlate with symptoms. Neurological dysfunction in CM-I presumably results from brainstem compression. With the premise that conventional MRI does not reveal brain microstructural changes, this study examined both structural and microstructural neuroimaging metrics to distinguish patients with CM-I from age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. ⋯ CONCLUSIONS In this case-control study, microstructural alterations appear to be reliably associated with the diagnosis of CM-I, with a significantly elevated FA in the lower brainstem in patients with CM-I compared with controls. More importantly, the FA values normalized after decompressive surgery. These findings should be validated in future studies to determine the significance of diffusion tensor imaging-based assessment of brainstem microstructural integrity as an adjunct to the clinical assessment in patients with CM-I.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Nov 2016
Historical ArticleNew York City at the dawn of neurological surgery.
Although there are many cities that can claim to have been the incubator of modern neurological surgery, the rise of this surgical subspecialty in New York City in the late 19th and early 20th century mirrors what was occurring around the world. The first confirmed brain tumor operation in the US was performed there in 1887. The author describes the role of several pioneers in the development of neurological surgery. Charles Elsberg was the first dedicated neurological surgeon in New York City and was instrumental in the development of the Neurological Institute and the careers of several other notable neurosurgeons.