Neurosurgery is one of the newest surgical specialties. Many of the great surgeons in the 19th and even 20th century felt that brain operations for tumors were not possible. Considering a brain surgery mortality rate of 50 -70%, this is not surprising. Thanks to advances, including the introduction of medications to reduce the severity of…
A pain in the rear: A neurosurgeon’s perspective
Back pain! Almost everyone gets back pain at some part of their life. Deciding when to just take it easy, when to call your doctor or when to Uber to the Emergency Room can be an intimidating but important distinction. Time is on your side An old, wise neurosurgery professor once told me that “no…
Brain Tumor Advances
The treatment of brain tumors has dramatically changed over the past few decades. Although many benign tumors can be treated with surgery alone, it is all too frequent that we encounter malignant tumors that cannot be cured with surgery alone. This is one of the greatest challenges in all of medicine. Diagnosing: The initial goal…