Neurosurgery clinics of North America
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Neurosurg. Clin. N. Am. · Jan 2001
Historical ArticleHistory of peripheral nerve surgery techniques.
The nineteenth century witnessed significant discoveries in the understanding of the peripheral nerve response to injury. Unfortunately, these discoveries were not widely accepted and several physiologically implausible nerve repair procedures survived into the first decades of the twentieth century. ⋯ The surgical experience of World War II led to a rational classification of nerve injuries and refined the timing for surgical intervention. Major postwar developments that led to the modern era include improved nerve grafting techniques, intraoperative nerve action potential recording, and strategies for the repair of brachial plexus lesions.
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Neurosurg. Clin. N. Am. · Jan 2001
Historical ArticleHistory of diagnosis and treatment of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
The pioneers of microsurgery created a new world of neurosurgery through their efforts, including attention to anatomic details, physiologic principles, and technical maneuvers. The impact of microsurgery and the ability to teach it to successive generations of neurosurgeons during the last 25 years are surely the material from which the future history of neurosurgery will be written.
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Neurosurg. Clin. N. Am. · Jan 2001
Historical ArticleHistory of thoracolumbar decompression and stabilization.
This article organizes the history of thoracolumbar spine surgery around its two major purposes: spinal decompression and spinal stabilization. Only select turning points of this history are addressed. Emphasis is given to important surgical obstacles and perioperative and anesthetic problems, as they have influenced the development of thoracolumbar spine surgery.
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Neurosurg. Clin. N. Am. · Oct 2000
ReviewProton radiation therapy for chordomas and chondrosarcomas of the skull base.
Most patients with conventional radiotherapy after surgery die with local disease progression. The superior local tumor control and overall survival achieved with fractionated proton RT can be attributed to improved dose localization characteristics of protons, resulting in higher doses delivered. Patients with base of skull neoplasms are increasingly considered for stereotactic radiosurgery. ⋯ Several important factors have emerged from recently published results: Patients with low-grade chondrosarcomas and male patients with chordomas have an excellent chance of durable tumor control and long-term survival after proton RT. Severe complications are within the acceptable range considering the high doses delivered and given the major morbidity associated with uncontrollable tumor growth in such patients. Female patients with chordomas experience increased early and late failures