Neurosurgery
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The restricted radiation tolerance of the anterior visual pathways represents a unique challenge for ablating adjacent lesions with single-session radiosurgery. Although preliminary studies have recently demonstrated that multisession radiosurgery for selected perioptic tumors is both safe and effective, the number of patients in these clinical series was modest and the length of follow-up limited. The current retrospective study is intended to help address these shortcomings. ⋯ Multisession radiosurgery resulted in high rates of tumor control and preservation of visual function in this group of perioptic tumors. Ninety-four percent of patients retained or improved preradiosurgical vision. This intermediate-term experience reinforces the findings from earlier studies that suggested that multisession radiosurgery can be a safe and effective alternative to either surgery or fractionated radiotherapy for selected lesions immediately adjacent to short segments of the optic apparatus.
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Biography Historical Article
Francesco Durante: the history of intracranial meningiomas and beyond.
FRANCESCO DURANTE FROM Letojanni, Sicily, was the first surgeon in the history of neurosurgery to successfully remove a cranial base meningioma. Durante was Chairman of Clinical Surgery at the Royal University of Rome (now University "La Sapienza") for 45 years, participating in the birth of the "Policlinic Umberto I," and was one of the most famous surgeons in the country. ⋯ His contributions are still applicable to medicine today, not only to the neurosurgical community, but also other surgical disciplines, because he developed innovative practices in the fields of oncology, general surgery, and orthopedics in addition to designing special surgical instruments. In commemoration of his legacy, the International Francesco Durante Award is bestowed upon world-renowned surgeons.
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Biography Historical Article
Ulysses and the Sirens by Herbert James Draper (1863-1920).