In preparation for a complex neurosurgical procedure, it is very important to imagine the surgical viewpoint in order to anticipate safely approaching and treating the condition. A surgeon must foresee where related critical structures reside. It’s just like Chevy Chase’s message in Caddy Shack… “Be the ball, Danny”. For example, this is a large left…
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Thomas Bertram Lance’s quote from 1977 is pretty plain but very useful advice, the Interspsinous Device doesn’t follow this advice. Traditionally, the most effective treatment of lumbar stenosis (compression of the nerve roots) has been decompression with laminectomy. The early Greeks and Byzantines started performing decompressions around 300…
The Dreamers’, “Palm Reader”, is a 2021 song about guitarist Nick Wold’s visit with an L.A. psychic. He initially felt she was a quack, but quickly believed in her visions. “You say you got a vision take my hand and tell me what you see” “Cause now I see your vision you can show me…
Carpal tunnel syndrome is commonly considered an “over-use syndrome”. Repetitive activities may aggravate compression of the median nerve in the wrist by the transverse carpal ligament, manifesting as pain, tingling, numbness, and/or weakness of the hand. Chronic handwriting or computer typing can provoke the symptoms. In the 1930s after the Great Depression, Chester Carlson was…
Jack Eichel is the star center, and captain, for the Buffalo Sabres, although his career thus far has been a bit underwhelming. Drafted in 2015, he has never played in the postseason. Since he entered the NHL in 2015-2016, Buffalo has had the lowest regular-season points percentage of any NHL team. Predicted to be the…
Transcranial electric stimulation (tES) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique, passing an electric current into the brain through the scalp, to alter brain function. In contrast to other brain stimulation techniques, like transcranial magnetic stimulation, the current in Transcranial electric stimulation (tES) is not very powerful and maintains subthreshold levels to only affect the cortex…
In 1885 the first seatbelt patent was granted to Edward Claghorn, as a way to keep tourists safe in New York City as they rode in taxis. In 1961, Wisconsin became the first state to require seatbelts in new cars. In 1968, both lap and shoulder belts were mandated in all new automobiles. However, it…
One of the hottest media topics (pun intended) over the last few years has been the effects of climate change on earth, the potential causes of those changes, and what we can do about them. Climate change traditionally has been assessed by taking specimens from the earth. A hollow tube is sunk deep into glacial ice…
During both brain and spine surgery, we use electrocautery to control bleeding. Bipolar cautery creates a circuit between the forcep tips, and the electric current flows smoothly between the active and return electrode. Only minimal and focal patient tissue, in between the tips, is exposed to the current. Monopolar cautery, however, creates a circuit between…
The ubiquitous ability of duct tape to fix anything has been common knowledge since World War II. It was originally made of cotton duck fabric (not from real ducks) and repelled water like a duck’s feathers, so it nicely fits its moniker. Duct tape was easy to apply and remove by hand, making it extraordinarily…