Numerous clinical situations remain as problematic issues which continue to vex neuroanesthesiologists and neurointensivists as they work to optimize outcomes for their patients. Nascent research ongoing at this time may provide a window to a future approach to these problems.…
Introduction Harvey Cushing, an American neurosurgeon, recognized that the perioperative environment required detailed data collection. Working with colleagues in the 1890s, he is credited with bringing the intraoperative anesthetic record into popular use. This early pen and paper example of…
The pituitary is often referred to as the “master” hormonal gland because of the innumerable influences it exerts over physiologic homeostasis. It is located in the sella turcica, a bony cavity at the base of the skull in close proximity…
Acknowledgment The authors express their gratitude to previous authors of this chapter: Alex John London, Angelique Reitsma, and Connie Zuckerman. Research advances and heightened clinical capabilities have enabled those who care for patients with neurosurgical disease to make great strides…
Introduction Neurologic disorders requiring surgical intervention during pregnancy are not uncommon, and many anesthesiologists eventually encounter a pregnant woman in need of a neurosurgical procedure. The anesthetic management of such patients can be complicated by the physiologic changes that occur…
Introduction The successful treatment of pain in the preoperative patient is important with all surgical specialties, but in many instances it is more critical in the patient undergoing neurosurgical or spinal based surgeries. Attention to the hemodynamic swings associated with…
Critical care, including postoperative care, of the neurologically ill patient involves application of the general critical care principles of management with an added focus on prevention and treatment of secondary brain injury. Systemic and neurologic monitoring is typically required and…
Huntington’s disease Huntington’s disease is a universally fatal neurodegenerative disorder affecting the central nervous system that results from an autosomal dominant mutation in the huntingtin gene. It is characterized by movement and psychiatric disorders as well as dementia and occurs…
The first descriptions of spine disorders were recorded nearly 4000 years ago in Egypt, when patients with such afflictions were left bedridden and death was considered unavoidable. One of the first extensive series on surgery of the spine was reported…
Neurosurgical lesions in infants and children have distinct manifestations and management issues. Age-related differences in the surgical lesions, anatomy and physiological responses to surgery and anesthesia underlie the clinically relevant differences between pediatric patients and their adult counterparts. Technical advances…