Textbook of Contemporary Neurosurgery (2 Volumes) Vincent A Thamburaj
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1Textbook of Contemporary: NEUROSURGERY2
3Textbook of Contemporary: NEUROSURGERY
Volume 1
Volume 2
Editor-in-Chief Vincent A Thamburaj Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon Apollo Specialty Hospitals Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Foreword Robin Sengupta
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This book has been published in good faith that the contents provided by the editor contained herein are original, and is intended for educational purposes only. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy of information, the publisher and the editor specifically disclaim any damage, liability, or loss incurred, directly or indirectly, from the use or application of any of the contents of this work. If not specifically stated, all figures and tables are courtesy of the editor. Where appropriate, the readers should consult with a specialist or contact the manufacturer of the drug or device.
Textbook of Contemporary Neurosurgery (Volume 1)
First Edition: 2012
9789350252390
Printed at
5Dedicated to
All my patients and their families
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7Contributors 11Foreword
‘Teaching is the highest form of understanding.’ — Aristotle (384–322 BC), Greek Philosopher
Today, Neurosurgeons have to know much more to keep up with the latest method of diagnosis and treatment. To fulfill their needs a contemporary textbook is therefore an absolute necessity and long overdue. The first Textbook of Neurosurgery by pioneer giants in Indian Neurosurgery Dr B Ramamurthi and Dr PN Tandon was published in 1980. More than 30 years later, Dr Vincent A Thamburaj, whom I know from his years in England, has taken the audacious and arduous task to write another textbook on Neurosurgery.
This book covers the entire field of general neurosurgery, including neurorehabilitation. The chapters on Evidence-based Medicine for Neurosurgeons, Ethics in Neurosurgery, Genetics in Neurosurgery, Familial Tumor Syndromes of the Central Nervous System, Biomechanics of Spinal Stabilization, Stem Cells in Neurology, and Neurological Physiotherapy are some of the chapters not usually found in general neurosurgical textbooks. The discussion on developmental disorders is very illustrative. The section on ‘Infections in Neurosurgery’ will be informative to the Western world. The wide spectrum of brain tumors has been discussed most comprehensively. The recent neurosurgical interest in spine surgery is well reflected in section ‘Spine and Spinal Cord Disorders’.
As Vincent mentions in his preface, the book is primarily intended for the postgraduate students, neurosurgeons who have to look after all kinds of neurosurgical problems in the community and the medical practitioners who need some guidance about neurosurgical problems in their own specialties. However, I find that the quality of information and presentations in the book can even help the neurosurgical experts in the areas of their own interest. Dr B Ramamurthi would have been delighted to see this book coming from his own student, Dr Vincent A Thamburaj and from his beloved city, Chennai, from where he radiated Neurosurgical gospel throughout India and became the Ambassador of Indian Neurosurgery to the rest of the world. Most of the premiere institutions, which are well known for education and research, are losing their talents to the corporate sector. It is therefore surprising that Vincent could assemble so many Indian Neurosurgeons to contribute to this book. I notice that apart from few Japanese and Western experts, the authors are all Indian. What a testimony to the persuasive power of the editors! I congratulate Vincent and his team for creating another milestone in Indian Neurosurgery. I am sure that this timely, comprehensive and up-to-date textbook will be well received by Neurosurgeons, the world over.
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Robin Sengupta
Visiting Professor, Dr MGR Medical University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Fellow, National Academy of Science, India
Emeritus Fellow, Durham University, UK
Consultant Neurosurgeon, Newcastle upon NHS Trust, UK
Chairman, Institute of Neurosciences, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Chairman, National Neurosciences Centre, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
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13Preface
‘There are moments in a man's life when purpose comes to him suddenly.’
— Wilder Graves Penfield (1891–1976), Canadian Neurosurgeon
The genesis of this textbook can be traced back to my online tome ‘Neurosurgery on the web…’ It was personally very gratifying to see the neurosurgery community adopt and benefit from this online manual. Generous feedback from the community encouraged me to further develop this work and then to mold the contents into textbook form. Over the course of multiple iterations of additions, deletions and edits, the content was eventually shaped into the final product that you now see.
This textbook is primarily directed at Neurosurgical Trainees. Young Neurosurgeons and those in related disciplines will also appreciate and benefit from the material in the book. While the textbook covers topics that every general Neurosurgeon should be knowledgeable at, it is beyond the scope of this work to address the specific needs of subspecialists.
There are 121 chapters organized into 14 sections in two volumes. Each chapter attempts to draw together all current relevant information and integrates theory and practice in contemporary neurosurgery for a comprehensive learning experience. The concise and practical style is deliberately chosen to make this textbook easy to consume. Each chapter begins with an introduction to the topic and ends with key practice points for a quick review of the topic. All chapters follow the same format so that there are no inconsistencies in style or content. Every effort has been made to avoid redundancy, which is often inevitable in a textbook with multiple authors.
During my FRCS days, I really enjoyed reading Walter and Israel's General Pathology. They set the bar for me in terms of what a medical textbook ought to be. My goal was to attempt to write a book that is as expansive and as approachable as that seminal work. It is my fervent hope that you, the reader, find this book informative, interesting and easy to read.
I wish to thank all the authors who have contributed so generously of their experience and their time and the staff of Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd, New Delhi, India who were most helpful in getting the book published.
I would especially like to thank Narayanan Raghavachari for his help with proofreading, Ravikanth Balaji for his help with figures, and Anil Sangli and Samit S Mehta who shared in the conception and planning of this textbook.
Vincent A Thamburaj
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