Neurosurgery
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Historical Article
The Harvard Neurosurgical Service at the Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham & Women's Hospital, 1912-2007.
The Harvard Neurosurgical Service at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Children's Hospital Boston has a distinguished history, beginning in 1912 when Dr. Harvey Cushing became surgeon-in-chief at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. After Cushing left in 1932, the Children's Hospital had a dominant role, with the creation and development of pediatric neurosurgery under Franc D. ⋯ Despite reporting on more than 2500 cases a year, the combined service continued to have a strong academic program. This was helped by a residency with two required research years, an academic day each week, faculty committed to research, strong scientific collaborations, and contributions from many visiting neurosurgeons and research fellows. In its first 94 years, the service has been a strong force in clinical, educational, political, and research efforts in neurosurgery.
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Review Case Reports Comparative Study
Minimally invasive anterolateral approaches for the treatment of back pain and adult degenerative deformity.
Minimally invasive and interbody and instrumented fusion techniques are increasingly being used for the treatment of adult degenerative disc disease, stenosis, and deformity of the lumbar spine. Advocates of minimal access spinal approaches list certain advantages over open procedures, including decreased postoperative pain and narcotic requirements, shorter hospital stays, less blood loss, and smaller incisions. The minimally invasive anterolateral approach allows access to the lumbar spine through the retroperitoneal space. ⋯ One patient had additional posterior segmental instrumentation placed. Mean Cobb angles in the coronal plane were 28.5 degrees preoperatively and 18.3 degrees postoperatively (P < 0.05). We also present a historical perspective on retroperitoneal spine surgery, a regional anatomic description of the lumbosacral plexus and surrounding structures, and a description of the surgical technique as related to treatment of lumbar deformity.
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Case Reports Comparative Study
Contralateral C7 transfer via the prespinal and retropharyngeal route to repair brachial plexus root avulsion: a preliminary report.
We sought to investigate a shorter and safer route for contralateral C7 transfer. ⋯ Transection of the bilateral scalenus muscles can reduce the length of the nerve graft and allow the C7 nerve to be transferred more smoothly and safely through the prespinal and retropharyngeal route; this method also favors nerve regeneration and functional recovery.
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To review current classification systems for adolescent and adult scoliosis. ⋯ The importance of scoliosis classification schemes lies in their ability to standardize communication among health care providers. With regard to the classification of adolescent scoliosis, the Lenke system has addressed many of the significant limitations of the King system and is now the standard classification scheme. Classification schemes for adult scoliosis have been reported only recently, and each offers specific advantages (the simple pathogenesis-based system of Aebi, the strong clinical relevance of the Schwab system, and the richly descriptive Scoliosis Research Society system). This article highlights the salient features of currently used scoliosis classification systems.
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To evaluate the role of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in the management of recurrent or residual intracranial hemangioblastomas, we assessed tumor control, survival, and complications in 32 consecutive patients. ⋯ SRS is an important tool in the management of hemangioblastomas and is associated with a high tumor control rate and a low risk of adverse radiation effects.