Operative Neurosurgical Anatomy

This book presents neurosurgical anatomy by detailing approaches on cadavers in the same position patients would be
placed in during a real operative procedure. Anatomy is described in: 1) all commonly used cranial and cranial base
approaches, 2) anterior, posterior, anterolateral and posterolateral approaches to all segments of the spine, 3) all
commonly performed procedures on peripheral nerves, and 4) endoscopic approaches to cranial and spinal neurosurgery.
Stresses the understanding of the anatomy rather than the performance of the procedure.

Contributors vii
Foreword viii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
I. Cranial Approaches
1 Specimen Preparation 1
2 Frontotemporal Approach 4
3 Cranio-orbital and Orbitozygomatic Approaches 11
4 The Anterior Communicating Complex and Heubner’s Artery 18
5 Sylvian Fissure Anatomy and the Transylvian Approach 23
6 Transbasal Approach 27
7 Transphenoidal Approach 32
8 Cavernous Sinus Anatomy 37
9 Surgical Approaches to the Cavernous Sinus 46
10 Preauricular Subtemporal-Infratemporal Approach . 52
11 Middle Fossa Approach 61
12 Transpetrosal Approach 67
13 Retrosigmoid Craniotomy 81
14 Midline and Paramedian Suboccipital Approaches 86
15 Extreme Lateral Approach 90
16 Approaches to the Posterior Third Ventricule and Pineal Region 100
17 Interhemispheric Approach 107
18 Frontal Lobectomy 111
19 Occipital Lobectomy 113
20 Temporal Lobectomy for Epilepsy 115
II. Spinal Approaches
21 Vertebral Column Anatomy 121
22 Transoral Approach to the Upper Cervical Spine 127
23 Anterior Approach to the Cervical Spine 130
24 Posterior Cervical Approach 135
25 Posterior Approach to the Thoracic Spine 138
26 Dorsolateral Approaches to the Thoracic Spine 141
27 Ventrolateral Approach to the Thoracic Spine 145
28 Lumbar Laminectomy and Discectomy 148
29 Far Lateral Lumbar Discectomy 152
30 Retroperitoneal Approach to the Lumbar Spine 154
III. Peripheral Nerve Approaches
31 Carpal Tunnel Release 157
32 Radial Nerve Decompression 161
33 Ulnar Nerve Decompression and Transposition 163
34 Anterior Exposure of the Brachial Plexus 166
35 Thoracic Outlet Syndrome 170
36 Suprascapular Nerve Entrapment 172
37 Surgical Decompression of the Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve 174
38 Sciatic Nerve Exploration 176
39 Sural Nerve Biopsy 178
IV. Neuroendoscopy
40 Minimally Invasive Supraorbital Craniotomy 181
41 Minimally Invasive Subtemporal Craniotomy 189
42 Endoscopic Intraventricular Anatomy 194
43 Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy 201
Index 203