Traumatic injuries of the central and peripheral nervous system have long been the purview of our specialty. Specifically, neurosurgeons have pioneered medical and surgical treatments of closed and penetrating head injury, spinal column and cord injury for decades. However, a more recent development is the collaboration of neurosurgeons with other entities to adopt a broader set of guidelines, preventative measures and diagnostic/prognostic tests for those afflicted with these injuries.
In this issue of AANS Neurosurgeon, learn about the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s establishment of a brain bank, a collaboration between NPA and principal investigators from the University of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and UPMC Magee Women’s Hospital for a women’s concussion study and the development of prognostic biomarkers in the setting of head injury. Sports play an important role in cultures and communities throughout the world; in the United States, especially, from an early age, children participate in various and multiple sports. As our knowledge expands regarding potential long-term effects of sport sustained injuries, neurosurgeons are positioned to advise sports organizations, educational institutions and others as to preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.
Neurosurgeons continue to advocate for their patients, their practice, and their subspecialty. Follow AANS Neurosurgeon this issue and the next to keep abreast of these efforts by our neurosurgical colleagues!
Aruna Ganju, MD, FAANS, FACS is an associate professor of neurological surgery at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and the current editor of AANS Neurosurgeon. She is a past chair of the AANS/CNS Section of Women in Neurosurgery (WINS) and Residency Program Director in the Department of Neurological Surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Her clinical areas of interest are surgical treatment of disorders of the spinal column and cord.
