Brain Surgery News and Research

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Researchers explore role of ECoG measurement to improve brain mapping technology

Epilepsy and seizures affect nearly 3 million Americans of all ages, with 200,000 new cases of seizures and epilepsy occurring each year. Epilepsy surgery may be performed in patients who have seizures associated with structural brain abnormalities, such as benign brain tumors and cortical dysplasia, malformations of blood vessels, the genetic disorder tuberous sclerosis, and strokes.

4 May 2010

"Brain Port" surgery helps remove colloid cyst in 15-week pregnant woman

A unique device developed to make brain surgery easier and less traumatic has been successfully used on a patient who was pregnant and suffering from a potentially life-threatening brain cyst. The device, called a "Brain Port," was pioneered by renowned neurosurgeon Amin Kassam, MD, Medical Director of the Neuroscience Institute at Saint John's Health Center.

19 Apr 2010

First Edition: April 6, 2010

Among today's headlines is news about a lawsuit filed by Massachusetts insurers who are seeking to reverse the state insurance commissioner's decision and allow them to raise rates.

6 Apr 2010

UVA Health System offers Gamma Knife eXtend system to treat patients with head and neck cancer

A powerful new tool available at the University of Virginia Health System offers treatment to patients with some of the most challenging cancers of the head and neck.

16 Mar 2010

AGH neurosurgeons explore new therapeutic approach for brain tumor

Neurosurgeons at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) are exploring use of a drug that illuminates brain tumor cells to determine if the experimental visualization technique will enhance their ability to surgically excise tumors and improve patient survival.

19 Feb 2010

Testing DBS for treating severe long-term depression

Bewernick and colleagues administered DBS treatment in ten patients with severe long-term depression who had not responded to multiple other antidepressant treatments, including psychotherapy, drug treatments and electroconvulsive treatment. After one year of DBS, all patients showed some improvement, and half of them experienced significant improvement in their symptoms of depression, astonishing considering they had not responded to any prior antidepressant treatment. In addition, the patients showed reduced ratings of anxiety and had only minor side effects. Importantly, none of their overall brain functioning was impaired by the DBS treatment.

27 Jan 2010

Chordoma surgery through the nose

A remarkable brain surgery at Saint John’s Health Center has restored vision to a seriously ill young woman from Spain—and the entire operation was performed through her nose without an incision.

22 Dec 2009

Physicians' bedside exams superior to high-tech CT scan, study finds

Sometimes, a simple bedside exam performed by a skilled physician is superior to a high-tech CT scan, a Loyola University Health System study has found.

19 Dec 2009

Neurologist performs catheter procedure on stroke patient

Most strokes are caused by blood clots in brain vessels. Brain cells die when deprived of blood and oxygen. But if a patient gets to the hospital in time, fast treatment often can restore blood flow and minimize damage.

17 Dec 2009

French team develops robotic technology to operate on a beating heart

If you've been waiting for the day to arrive when computers actually start performing surgery, that moment might soon be upon us. A French team has developed a computerized 3D model that allows surgeons to use robotics to operate on a beating heart, according to a report in The International Journal of Robotics Research, published by SAGE.

11 Dec 2009

New biodegradable drug-eluting fibers advance stent technology and brain surgery

Stents that keep weakened and flabby arteries from collapsing have been true life-savers. But after six months, those stents are no longer needed -- once the arteries are strengthened, they become unnecessary. Previously, doctors had no choice but to leave them in place.

25 Nov 2009

"Micro-endoscopes" to detect tumors at earlier stages being developed

Traditional endoscopes provide a peek inside patients' bodies. Now, a University of Florida engineering researcher is designing ones capable of a full inspection.

19 Nov 2009

Deep brain stimulation can help patients with severe forms of depression

In deep brain stimulation, doctors specifically target the impaired function of certain areas of the brain with an electric brain pacemaker. For the purpose of this study, they implanted electrodes in what is known as the nucleus accumbens. That is an important part of the 'reward system' which ensures that we remember good experiences and puts us in a state of pleasant anticipation.

2 Nov 2009

Montreal Children's Hospital inaugurates Brain Suite intraoperative MRI

The Montreal Children's Hospital inaugurates its new Brain Suite, home to the first intraoperative magnetic resonance (MRI) in a Canadian pediatric hospital and the first in Quebec.

26 Oct 2009

MUSC launches Social Media Newsroom for real-time information on medical news and research

As the editorial landscape continues to evolve with the emergence of social media, many people struggle to find trusted resources that offer accurate, real time information related to healthcare news and research.

21 Oct 2009

Infections due to handwashing failures cause 100,000 deaths annually

At Bay Medical Center in Panama City, Florida, Compirion Healthcare Solutions, a healthcare consulting firm that was engaged to help improve ED Throughput, Finance and Core Measures compliance, found only 30% of the staff regularly washed their hands between visits with patients.

17 Sep 2009

Breakthrough in MR-guided, non-invasive neurosurgery

The Magnetic Resonance Center of the University Children's Hospital Zurich has achieved a world first break through in MR-guided, non-invasive neurosurgery. Ten patients have been successfully treated by means of transcranial high-intensity focused ultrasound. This fully non-invasive procedure opens new horizons for neurosurgery and the treatment of different neurological brain disorders.

23 Jun 2009

Researcher tackles deadly brain tumors

Natalie Ciaccio, a fourth-year graduate student researcher in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Kansas, is investigating what might be an ideal target for anti-cancer drug therapy, and she is focusing her work on brain tumors specifically.

6 Apr 2009

Nerve-stimulation device proves effective against epilepsy

Epilepsy is a common medical condition characterized by convulsions and short periods of confusion.

20 Mar 2009

University of Florida doctors test targets for Parkinson surgery

Doctors may be able to tailor a specialized form of brain surgery to more closely match the needs of Parkinson patients, according to results from the first large-scale effort to compare the two current target areas of deep brain stimulation surgery, or DBS.

15 Mar 2009