Neurosurgery
-
Historical Article
Historical perspective on neurosurgery in Germany after World War II.
AFTER THE COLLAPSE of the Third Reich, the specialty of neurosurgery in Germany, although well developed in the late 1930s, had to start anew, and for decades to come, had to deal with the physical and political consequences of World War II. Because of the division of the country, neurosurgery developed separately in the two independent states. In West Germany, the evolution was promoted by a few personalities who represented different schools according to their own training: these "surgical neurologists" emphasized the neurological basis of neurosurgery and were represented by Traugott Riechert and the students of Otfrid Foerster, such as Arist Stender and Hans Kuhlendahl. ⋯ Since its founding in 1949, the German Neurosurgical Society has promoted the idea of reconciliation and has focused on international collaboration in both science and education. This idea, shared by other European nations, eventually gave rise to the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies. At present, escalating costs in the health sector pose a problem to neurosurgical services and have led to reconsiderations about their structure and financing.
-
The authors describe a case of severe traumatic arterial vasospasm and its subsequent management using angiography and multiple infusions of calcium channel blockers. ⋯ To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of multiple intra-arterial calcium channel blocker infusions for severe posttraumatic vasospasm, as assessed by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography, cerebral blood flow monitoring, and angiography. This case reinforces that arterial vasospasm does occur in response to traumatic brain injury and further demonstrates that treatment with calcium channel blocker infusions is associated with angiographic changes and a subsequent reversal of ischemic blood flow.
-
Case Reports
Molecular genetic analysis in a case of ganglioglioma: identification of a new mutation.
Ganglioglioma is a primary central nervous system low-grade tumor composed of mixed populations of glial and neuroepithelial elements. ⋯ This report details the molecular genetic analysis of a ganglioglioma that allowed the identification of a new mutation.
-
Many patients undergoing lumbar spine fusion are overweight or obese. The relationship between body habitus and outcome after lumbar spine fusion surgery is not well defined. ⋯ Among this cohort of minimally invasive lumbar fusion patients, body habitus measured by BMI, weight, or height did not have a significant relationship with most self-reported outcome measures, operative time, length of hospital stay, or complications. Obesity should not be considered a contraindication to minimally invasive lumbar spinal fusion surgery.