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Position of neurosurgery in deployment medicine.

The rigid character of the skull provides protection for the brain; in trauma, however, concomitant brain swelling, contusion, and possible hematoma create increased intracranial pressure and likely further injury to brain and components. Rapid alleviation of such pressure reduces mortality and morbidity. Standard of care in neurosurgery mandates complex diagnostic and surgical facilities. Such is not available at forward echelons of deployed military medical units. The author compares the austerity of forward-located neurosurgery against that farther to the rear and recommends the former on the merits of the major reduction of time between injury and surgery.

Brain Injuries↗

[Fritz König (1866-1952), pioneer of modern neurosurgery in Germany].

Till the thirties of our century surgery of the brain tumors in Germany was depressing. It's entirely the credit of Fritz König (Würzburg) having caused decisive change of the situation. He enabled his assistant Wilhelm Tönnis to be trained by Herbert Olivecrona in his Department of Neurosurgery in Stockholm. After his return from Sweden the first independent Department of Neurosurgery was founded for Wilhelm Tönnis at the Hospital of Fritz König in Würzburg, against the still existing opposition of the surgeons.

Germany↗

Neurosurgery in Rwanda during a United Nations peace-keeping mission.

An analysis of the neurosurgical component of the medical support provided by a United Nations peace-keeping mission in Rwanda is presented. The Australian Defence Force contingent provided medical support to the United Nations and the civilian population. Eight hundred thirty-eight procedures were performed during 12 months. A wide range of surgery was encompassed, with neurosurgery accounting for 17 (2%) of the total operations: compound depressed fractured skull, 5; intracranial pressure monitor, 2; burr holes for acute head injury and chronic subdural hematoma, 2; skull osteomyelitis debridement, 1; rib-graft cranioplasty, 2; scalp rotation flap, 1; congenital myelomeningocele, 2; occipital meningocele, 1; craniofacial approach to Le Fort III fracture, 1. A broad range of neurosurgical procedures have been performed. The overall numbers of neurosurgical operations were small, but they were successfully performed by general surgeons. Familiarity with neurosurgery is necessary in predeployment training of military surgeons working in a remote location with limited resources.

Adult↗

[Ten years of neurosurgery at the University Hospital in Tromsø. Need for further development].

The Department of Neurosurgery at the University Hospital of Tromsø was established in January 1986 to provide neurosurgical treatment for the population of northern Norway. During the first ten years, 3,225 patients were operated on, including 1,157 craniotomies and 1,335 spinal procedures. The annual number of operations increased from 201 to 442, and the number of hospitalized patients from 265 to 908. The number of patients treated per employee increased by 250%, while the mean duration of hospital stay decreased by 43% to 4.5 days. The growth in activity is expected to continue. This is because of improved diagnostics of nervous system disease, a growing number of elderly patients and new treatment options. The falling number of spinal surgical procedures in local hospitals is also a contributing factor. Neurosurgery is highly cost-effective. It is impossible to make further cost savings without a decline in quality. The department must be expanded to cater for more operations by increasing both the number of beds and employees.

Health Services Needs and Demand↗

[The robotization of neurosurgery: state of the art and future outlook].

Neurosurgery is by excellence a field of application for robots, based on multimodal image guidance. Specific motorized tools have been already developed and routinely applied in stereotaxy to position a probe holder or in conventional neurosurgery to hold a microscope oriented towards a given target. The potentialities of these approaches have triggered industrial developments currently commercially available. These systems use data bases, primarily coming from multimodal numerical images from X-ray radiology to magnetic resonance imaging. These spatially encoded data are transferred through digital networks to workstations where images can be processed and surgical procedures are preplanned, then transferred to the robotic systems to which they are connected. We have been using a stereotactic robot since 1989 and a microscope robot since 1995 in various surgical routine procedures. The future of these applications mainly rely on the technical progress in informatics, about image recognition to adapt the preplanning to the actual surgical situation, to correct brain shifts for instance, about image fusion, integrated knowledge such such as brain atlases, as well as virtual reality. The future developments, covering surgical procedure, research and teaching, will sure be far beyond our wildest expectations.

Forecasting↗

[Erwin Payr and his contributions to neurosurgery].

After having studied medicine in Vienna and worked in Graz, Greifswald and Königsberg, Erwin Payr, born February 17, 1871 in Vienna, led the Department of Surgery for nearly twenty-five years at the University of Leipzig. Under his leadership a private surgical clinic was founded, the present-day Clinic for Neurosurgery at the University of Leipzig. His surgical innovations include, among others, a new technique in the draining of brain abscesses through the use of elderberry stem capillaries, in the employment of absorbable magnesium threads for vascular and nerve sutures, as well as in the anesthetizing of the trigeminal nerve second branch in the case of trigeminal neuralgia. During the First World War he dedicated himself above all to neurotraumatic subjects such as the diagnosis and therapy of cranial and brain traumas. The reduction of elevated intracranial pressure and the creation of a passage of the cerebral fluid through the ventricle drainage in cases of hydrocephaly represented central themes of Payr's scientific works in the field of neurosurgery. Erwin Payr, recipient of manifold honors for his scientific contributions, his service as Professor and his multifaceted surgical knowledge, died in Leipzig in 1946 at the age of 75.

Austria↗

Registration of functional and anatomical MRI: accuracy assessment and application in navigated neurosurgery.

OBJECTIVE: A procedure for acquisition, automated registration, and fusion of functional and anatomical magnetic resonance images is presented. Its accuracy is quantitatively assessed using a publicly available gold standard. A patient case is used to illustrate the technique's clinical usefulness in image-guided neurosurgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Before and after functional MRI (fMRI) acquisition, additional anatomical images were acquired at spatial locations identical to those of the functional images (5-10 slices) for the purpose of voxel-based image registration. Registration accuracy of the anatomical volumes and high-resolution 3D MRI volumes (MP-RAGE imaging) was quantified using adapted data (8 patients) originating from the Vanderbilt Retrospective Registration Evaluation Project (NIH project 1 R01 NS33926-02). Selecting three subsets of slices from that data (5 slices/6 mm slice distance, 10 slices/3 mm distance, and 10 slices/6 mm distance), the small number of images available from fMRI acquisition was taken into account. Accuracies in registering these sparse data sets were then compared to the accuracy achieved using complete data. For clinical patient data (16 patients), fMRI images were fused with MP-RAGE images, thereby integrating anatomical images with information about the locations of functional areas. The resulting images were used for planning and navigation during tumor resections using an operating microscope (MKM, Zeiss). RESULTS: Quantitative analysis showed no loss of registration accuracy due to a reduced number of slices, regardless of whether 5 or 10 slices were used. For small-volume coverage in the anatomical images (thickness 24 mm), registration of one patient failed, and this could easily be identified by visual inspection. No failures were experienced when 54 mm was covered. In the clinical environment, all 16 interventions using fused fMRI and MRI data were successful. CONCLUSIONS: Automatic registration of functional and high-resolution anatomical MRI was found to be sufficiently accurate and reliable for use in stereotactic neurosurgery.

Adolescent↗

An algorithm for rapid calculation of a probabilistic functional atlas of subcortical structures from electrophysiological data collected during functional neurosurgery procedures.

The paper introduces an optimal algorithm for rapid calculation of a probabilistic functional atlas (PFA) of subcortical structures from data collected during functional neurosurgery procedures. The PFA is calculated based on combined intraoperative electrophysiology, pre- and intraoperative neuroimaging, and postoperative neurological verification. The algorithm converts the coordinates of the neurologically most effective contacts into probabilistic functional maps taking into account the geometry of a stimulating electrode. The PFA calculation comprises the reconstruction of the contact coordinates from two orthogonal projections, normalizing (warping) the contacts modeled as cylinders, voxelizing the contact models, calculating the atlas, and computing probability. In addition, an analytical representation of the PFA is formulated based on Gaussian modeling. The initial PFA has been calculated from the data collected during the treatment of 274 Parkinson's disease patients, most of them operated bilaterally (487 operated hemispheres). It contains the most popular stereotactic targets, the subthalamic nucleus, globus pallidus internus, and ventral intermedius nucleus. The key application of the algorithm is targeting in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, and it also can be employed in human and animal brain research.

Algorithms↗

Telecontrolled micromanipulator system (NeuRobot) for minimally invasive neurosurgery.

BACKGROUND: To perform less invasive neurosurgery, a telecontrolled micromanipulator system has been developed and applied to clinical situations. Basic experiments for telesurgery have also been conducted. METHOD: A cadaver head was used to carry out surgical simulation of the opening of the sylvian fissure and third ventriculostomy. After obtaining permission from the Ethical Committee of Shinshu University School of Medicine, part of the recurrent meningioma in a 45-year-old man was removed. As basic experiment for telesurgery, surgical simulation was also conducted in a rat brain with the operating console transported to a hospital 40 km distant from the University. FINDINGS: Opening of the sylvian fissure and third ventriculostomy were accurately performed. Tumour removal in a patient with recurrent meningioma was safely achieved. Surgical simulation in the rat brain was accurately and correctly carried out, operated on from a hospital 40 km distant. CONCLUSIONS: The NeuRobot, telecontrolled micromanipulator system, can be used as a tool for less invasive neurosurgery.

Animals↗

Functional neurosurgery aided by use of an electronic brain atlas.

The authors present their experience in the use of an atlas-based computer system for preoperative functional neurosurgery planning and postoperative analysis. It has also some potential for intraoperative support. The system is based on a deformable electronic version of "Atlas of Stereotaxy of the Human Brain" by Schaltenbrand and Wahren. This atlas is used for interactive segmentation and labelling of clinical data in two- and three dimensions, and for definition of stereotactic targets. The Schaltenbrand-Wahren atlas microseries are digitized, enhanced, segmented, labelled, aligned and organized into atlas volumes. They are mutually preregistered, and three-dimensional models of the structures are constructed. The atlas may be interactively registered with an actual patient's data. A computer system is developed which provides data interpolation, reformatting, registration, visualization, navigation, mensuration and path display and editing in two- and three dimensions. The system increases the accuracy of target definition, reduces the time of planning and the time of the procedure itself. It also constitutes a research platform for the construction of more advanced neurosurgery supporting tools and brain atlases.

Brain↗

Functional neurosurgery in the treatment of epilepsy in The Netherlands. Aspects of presurgical evaluation and the contribution of subdural and stereotactically implanted depth electrodes in the Dutch Workgroup for Functional Surgery.

In the Netherlands all patients who are considered candidates for surgical treatment of their epilepsy are referred to the Dutch Workgroup for Functional Neurosurgery. Resective neurosurgery in partial epilepsy is a focus of special interest of national health authorities. Annually 15-20 patients can now be operated upon. Presurgical evaluation includes a.o. 18/FDG PET. For depth-EEG recording a specially designed method of "Combined Subdural and Depth-EEG Recording" is used which has been described previously. 70 patients underwent depth-EEG recording with the combined method. In 4.2% of the patients there were transient complications, in 1.4% there was a possibly permanent slight neurological deficit caused by the method. Fifty-six patients were evaluated at least one year after their surgical treatment (median follow-up 3 years). In the frontal lobe group comprising 9 patients 56% were seizure-free, 76% benefited from the treatment. In the temporal lobe group with 47 patients 68% were seizure-free and 92% benefited. No patient deteriorated from the resection. Permanent morbidity was nil.

Brain Mapping↗

Randomized placebo-controlled trial of single-dose antibiotic prophylaxis with fusidic acid in neurosurgery.

In neurosurgery, the antibiotic prophylaxis of choice has not yet been determined. The ideal drug should have an appropriate antimicrobial spectrum and favourable pharmacokinetic properties. In addition it should be nontoxic and easy to apply. We therefore conducted in 90 patients a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial in clean neurosurgery at increased risk of wound infection using a single pre-operative dose of 500 mg fusidic acid. Fusidic acid is a steroid-like antibiotic with a serum half-life of about 10 hours and excellent activity against gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant staphylococci. The neurosurgical infection rates for craniotomies, posterior fossa surgery and implantation of foreign bodies were 2.4% in the treatment group and 9.1% in the placebo group, respectively. This difference is statistically significant at a 95% confidence level.

Adolescent↗

[Use of the sitting position in neurosurgery. Results of a 1998 survey in Germany].

OBJECTIVES: This 1998 survey was carried out on the use of the sitting position for neurosurgical procedures in the posterior fossa and operations of the craniospinal and cervical spine region by the dorsal approach. In addition, anesthetic management of the sitting position and the compliance with recommendations of the Neuroanesthesia Study Group of the German Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (DGAI) published in 1995 were investigated and compared to results of a 1995 survey. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to 152 departments of anesthesiology in Germany providing anesthesia for neurosurgical procedures. 85 institutions (56%) responded to the survey, data from 78 hospitals were enrolled into the study. The sitting position was preferred for posterior fossa surgery by 45% of the neurosurgeons, for craniospinal operations by 35% and for cervical spine surgery by the dorsal approach by 39%. To 97% of the institutions the recommendations of the Neuroanesthesia Study Group of the DGAI were well known, 19% modified their anesthetic approach due to these recommendations. Recommendations of the Study Group on neuro-monitoring, in particular on the use of ultrasound (precordially or transoesophageally) for the detection of venous air embolism were followed by all institutions. 45% of the participants of the study preoperatively undertook diagnostic measures to preclude a probe-patent foramen ovale which predisposes the patient to paradoxical air embolism. CONCLUSIONS: The survey demonstrates that the use of the sitting position in German neurosurgery is still high when compared to other Western countries, but a tendency for decline over last 3 years can be observed from our data. In addition, our data appears to indicate a positive effect of the Study Group's recommendations on anesthetic management of the sitting position in neurosurgery.

Anesthesia↗

Robotics in child neurosurgery.

We felt there was a need for a new device with "minimal invasive" tracking hardware, to be used in image-guided neurosurgery, and the system we designed to fill this need is now presented. It combines precision of movement, stability and self-positioning capabilities together with optically tracked registration and procedural control within the structure of a surgical microscope. The results are reduced setup time and minimal "distraction" from the procedure itself, factors of special relevance in child neurosurgery. The system is composed of a six-axis industrial robot suitable for use in the operating room, carrying a surgical microscope. Three progressive scan-synchronized infrared cameras mounted around the lenses of the scope are used to register the patient's position and track surgical instruments with reference to the registered space. Orientation of the microscope during surgery is obtained with a six-axis joystick used as a microscope handle. The system has been clinically used in 14 cases, and it has proven itself to be reliable, providing the expected performance advantages. The implementation of a tracked ultrasound or endoscope intraoperative imaging source is also described.

Brain Diseases↗

Intraoperative anaphylaxis during neurosurgery.

Intra-operative anaphylaxis is of particular concern in neurosurgery. Not only is there an increased risk of major anaphylaxis, but the frequent placement of patients in the prone or sitting position may make resuscitation difficult. We describe two cases of per-operative anaphylaxis during neurosurgery and the techniques used in the successful management and investigation of these patients.

Adolescent↗

Open MRI-guided neurosurgery.

OBJECTIVES: A number of different image-guided surgical techniques have been developed during the past decade. None of these methods can provide the surgeon with information about the dynamic changes that occur intra-operatively. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The first vertical open 0.5T MRI-scanner for intra-operative MRI-guided neurosurgery in Germany was installed at the University of Leipzig during the summer 1996. Since autumn 1996 a number of surgical procedures including biopsies (n = 31), craniotomies (n = 32), transsphenoidal procedures (n = 8) and interstitial lasertherapies (n = 3) have been performed using intra-operative MR image guidance. RESULTS: The development of MR-compatible and MR-safe non-magnetic instruments and components had to be solved. Specific surgical instruments were developed to perform biopsies, craniotomies, microsurgical tumour resections and transsphenoidal procedures in the 0.5-T open MRI. Several components required adaptation including the head holder the stereotactic navigation device, the high speed drill, the suction unit, the ultrasonic aspirator, the bipolar coagulation, the laser probe and the surgical microscope. All these newly developed technical features enable the neurosurgeon to perform a large number of surgical procedures under direct control and guidance of intra-operative MR imaging. In contrast to frame-based for framless navigation systems, intra-operative MRI provides accurate and immediate information during the progress of surgery. These intra-operative images allow definitive localization and targeting of the lesions and accommodate anatomical changes that may occur during surgery. CONCLUSION: Intra-operative MRI is helpful for navigation as well as determining of tumour margins to achieve a complete and safe resection of intracranial lesions. Complications related to the surgical procedure are reduced and the risk of neurological deterioration due to tumour removal and postoperative complications is minimized. It can be concluded that the intra-operative application of interventional MRI technology may represent a major step forward in the field of neurosurgery.

Biopsy↗

Intracranial image-guided neurosurgery: experience with a new electromagnetic navigation system.

BACKGROUND: The aim of image-guided neurosurgery is to accurately project computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data into the operative field for defining anatomical landmarks, pathological structures and tumour margins. To achieve this end, different image-guided and computer-assisted, so-called "neuronavigation" systems have been developed in order to offer the neurosurgeon precise spatial information. METHOD: The present study reports on the experience gained with a prototype of the NEN-NeuroGuard neuronavigation system (Nicolet Biomedical, Madison, WI, USA). It utilises a pulsed DC electromagnetic field for determining the location in space of surgical instruments to which miniaturised sensors are attached. The system was evaluated in respect to its usefulness, ease of integration into standard neurosurgical procedures, reliability and accuracy. FINDINGS: The NEN-system was used with success in 24 intracranial procedures for lesions including both gliomas and cerebral metastases. It allowed real-time display of surgical manoeuvres on pre-operative CT or MR images without a stereotactic frame or a robotic arm. The mean registration error associated with MRI was 1.3 mm (RMS error) and 1.5 mm (RMS error) with CT-data. The average intra-operative target-localising error was 3.2 mm (+/- 1.5 mm SD). Thus, the equipment was of great help in planning and performing skin incisions and craniotomies as well as in reaching deep-seated lesions with a minimum of trauma. INTERPRETATION: The NEN-NeuroGuard system is a very user-friendly and reliable tool for image-guided neurosurgery. It does not have the limitations of a conventional stereotactic frame. Due to its electromagnetic technology it avoids the "line-of-sight" problem often met by optical navigation systems since its sensors remain active even when situated deep inside the skull or hidden, for example, by drapes or by the surgical microscope.

Adult↗