Neurosurgery News and Research

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FDA provides marketing clearance for the spinal implant developed by Sanford Health

Sanford Health, a comprehensive health care provider in the Upper Midwest, announced today a spinal implant developed by Sanford Clinic Neurosurgeon, Wilson Asfora, MD, Sanford Clinic Neurosurgery & Spine, has received United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) market clearance as a lumbar intervertebral body fusion device.

28 Aug 2009

Emdeon and BroMenn Healthcare System implement an interactive software application for transparent pricing of healthcare

Emdeon, a leading provider of revenue and payment cycle management solutions for the healthcare industry, and BroMenn Healthcare System, headquartered in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, recently implemented the Emdeon Patient Responsibility Estimator(SM) solution. Emdeon Patient Responsibility Estimator is an interactive software application used by BroMenn's patient access staff to inform patients of their financial responsibility prior to care delivery.

25 Aug 2009

Tiny filaments extending from cells may play a role in common malignant brain tumors

UCSF scientists have discovered that a tiny filament extending from cells, until recently regarded as a remnant of evolution, may play a role in the most common malignant brain tumor in children.

24 Aug 2009

New book explores neurobiology of pleasure

A sense of pleasure generated by the brain's hedonic neural systems is fundamental to daily life, and indeed has been essential to the evolution and survival of humans and most animals, say Morten Kringelbach and Kent Berridge, editors of Pleasures of the Brain. The rewards we experience through sensations such as food, sex and social interaction are driving forces necessary to maintain life, they argue.

20 Aug 2009

GHX OnDemand AP software-as-a-service solution helps hospitals reduce invoicing processing costs

A growing number of healthcare providers are using the OnDemand AP(SM) solution by GHX to automate and streamline their accounts payable processes, reducing invoice processing costs and cycle time, and improving internal controls and cash flow management. With OnDemand AP, hospitals can receive 100 percent of their invoices electronically, even from suppliers who do not currently support electronic invoicing. By eliminating the need for manual data entry and accelerating invoice approval, hospitals can reduce invoicing processing costs by more than 80 percent.

20 Aug 2009

Nfocus Neuromedical obtains CE approval for vascular reconstruction device

Nfocus Neuromedical Inc. announced today that its CardioVasc Advantage Vascular Reconstruction Device has been granted CE Mark approval by the European Notified Body, G-Med.

13 Aug 2009

Giant pituitary adenoma can be safely removed through nasal route

It’s even worse than being told you have a brain tumor: having a tumor so large, it’s in a category all its own. Giant pituitary adenoma is a so-called “benign” tumor that can cause visual loss and impair many of the body’s most basic functions. But fortunately, even the largest of these giant tumors—which can grow to the size of an egg and invade nearby structures--can be treated effectively using a multimodality approach starting with minimally invasive surgery through the nose, according to a new study at the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John’s Health Center.

12 Aug 2009

Potential new treatment for drug resistant brain tumors

Dr. Karen Newell, Ph. D., the lead researcher for bio technology company Viral Genetics (Pink Sheets: VRAL), will address the 4th Annual Aspen Symposium on Brain Tumor Immuno- and Stem Cell Therapy. Her presentation will highlight the potential for combining chemotherapy with compounds that interfere with the ability of brain tumor cells to generate the energy needed to repair chemotherapy induced DNA damage.

12 Aug 2009

STAT3 is required for proliferation and maintenance of multipotency in glioblastoma stem cells

In a study published online in advance of print in Stem Cells, Tufts researchers report that the STAT3 gene regulates cancer stem cells in brain cancer. Cancer stem cells have many characteristics of stem cells and are thought to be the cells that drive tumor formation. The researchers report that STAT3 could become a target for cancer therapy, specifically in Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a type of malignant and aggressive brain tumor.

11 Aug 2009

Transcranial MR-guided focused ultrasound for brain disorders a step closer

A team of researchers working at the MR-Center of the University Children's Hospital in Zürich has completed a pilot study using transcranial MR-guided focused ultrasound to treat 10 patients with neuropathic pain.

9 Aug 2009

Cutting-edge imaging research aims to map brain injuries

In the first study of its kind, researchers at Saint Louis University are recruiting patients for a clinical trial that will use cutting-edge imaging equipment to map the brain injuries of combat veterans and civilians, aiming to better understand the nature of their injuries.

5 Aug 2009

$Questions raised about vertebroplasty for osteoporotic spinal compression fractures$

Questions raised about vertebroplasty for osteoporotic spinal compression fractures

A new study led by Mayo Clinic researchers has found that relief of pain from vertebral compression fractures, as well as improvement in pain-related dysfunction, were similar in patients treated with vertebroplasty and those treated with simulated vertebroplasty without cement injections. The article, “A Randomized Controlled Trial of Vertebroplasty for Osteoporotic Spine Fractures,” was released today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

5 Aug 2009

TGF beta blocker prevents epilepsy following traumatic brain injury

Dr. Alon Friedman, a neurosurgeon, professor and researcher at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, working with researchers from UC Berkeley, California have identified a TGF Beta Blocker that when given to rats prevents epilepsy after brain damage, according to a new study appearing in the July 15 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

19 Jul 2009

Past exercise helps stroke patients recover faster

A person who has exercised regularly prior to the onset of a stroke appears to recover more quickly, say researchers from Mayo Clinic in Florida, who led a national study.

17 Jul 2009

New brain visualization technology enables removal of fist-sized tumor

A new technology involving the fusion of four different types of images into a 3-D map of a patient's brain has helped University of Cincinnati (UC) specialists successfully remove a fist-sized tumor from the brain of an Indiana woman.

14 Jul 2009

Deep brain stimulation for psychiatric disorders

Pioneering therapeutic trials to investigate the effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in hard-to-treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette's syndrome are underway at multiple medical centers around the world, according to a review in the June 2009 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

30 Jun 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

Research investigates the treatment of traumatic brain and head injury

The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme is expanding the evidence base surrounding the treatment of traumatic brain and head injury (TBI) by commissioning four new research projects. If left untreated many patients with head injury will rapidly develop complications which may lead to death or permanent disability. More than 100,000 people in the UK have long-term effects caused by such injuries. Prompt medical treatment may prevent the worsening of symptoms and lead to a better outcome.

4 Jun 2009

Needle biopsies safe in 'eloquent' areas of brain

After a review of 284 cases, specialists at the Brain Tumor Center at the University of Cincinnati (UC) Neuroscience Institute have concluded that performing a stereotactic needle biopsy in an area of the brain associated with language or other important functions carries no greater risk than a similar biopsy in a less critical area of the brain.

3 Jun 2009

Research questions standard protocol for treating traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury - not heart disease, stroke or cancer - is the number one cause of death and disability in people under 45. Each year, some 1.5 million Americans, including soldiers, athletes, the elderly and children, sustain head injuries, and nearly half of them will be hospitalized and treated in an emergency room or intensive care unit.

3 Jun 2009