Never forget where you came from. That is true at the individual level as well as for a medical practice. And it’s true for those who are seeking information on a medical practice that may be new to them. There is tremendous value in examining the foundation on which a practice was built. Maryland Brain, Spine…
August is Neurosurgery Awareness Month
Neurosurgery has been around for more than a thousand years. The first documented brain surgeon was Abulcasis, who lived from 936 to 1013AD, and wrote many works on neurosurgical diagnosis and treatment, including writings on head injuries and skull fractures, spinal injuries and subdural effusions. Fast forward 800 years, because it wasn’t until 1879 that…
Technological Advances in Brain Surgery: Celebrating the camera
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…
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…
How To Choose the Best Neurosurgeon for You
By The MBSP Surgical Team If you’re considering brain or spinal surgery, your choice of a neurosurgeon must be a careful, thoughtful and comprehensive one. After all, you want someone precise and methodical in everything he/she does in the operating room. And out of the OR, they should be able to communicate with you in…
Optune: New Toxic-Free Treatment For Brain Tumors
By Dr. Tim Burke, Neurosurgeon, Maryland Brain, Spine + Pain Cancer treatment has evolved in ways never thought possible, making the ‘C word’ a little less frightening. As a physician, I’m grateful to have more options for my patients. Those with glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumors, for instance, can try Optune therapy. What is Optune? Optune,…
Head Games
Fumble: Have we dropped the ball on concussion? By Gary Dix M.D., MBA, Neurosurgeon Have you seen ‘Concussion’ starring Will Smith? Released late last year, this movie details the NFL’s attempts to invalidate Dr. Bennet Omalu’s findings on concussion and its link to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE, a progressive degenerative disease associated with repeated…