UB Neurosurgery Faculty Offer Brain Endoscopy Course

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Neurosurgical residents, fellows and attending neurosurgeons interested in minimally invasive endoscopic surgery of the brain will gather in Buffalo July 29-30 at the 5th Annual Brain Endoscopy Course -- a continuing medical education-accredited course sponsored by the University at Buffalo's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

For more information and to register, please go to http://www.ubneurosurgery.com/handler.cfm?event=practice,template&cpid=27626

Walter Grand, MD, professor of neurosurgery, director of the Brain Endoscopy Center and one of the course lecturers, describes endoscopes as tubular lens devices with a miniature camera that allow neurosurgeons to operate on the brain through a small opening to see anatomical structures and perform surgery with a high-resolution video image.

"Surgeons use endoscopes to perform minimally invasive procedures," he says. "Their appropriate usage in neurosurgery can do much to reduce patient discomfort, recovery time, hospital stays and overall health-care costs. In addition, it allows us to reach deep areas of the brain not accessible by previous techniques in neurosurgery."

UB Neurosurgery is one of a limited number of neurosurgery programs in North America qualified to provide advanced neuro-endoscopic training.

During lectures and practical cadaver lab sessions, course participants will become familiar with intracranial and transnasal endoscopic equipment, gaining the knowledge and technical skill sets necessary to perform the endoscopic procedures in their own practices.

"This method of surgery is particularly appealing to patients, as incisions are small and cosmetic, and tissue disruption is drastically minimized, as compared to conventional, open surgical procedures," Grand explains. "As a result, post-operative pain and recovery time are significantly decreased."

The 5th Annual Brain Endoscopy Course will be held at Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital, part of the Kaleida Health System.

In addition to Grand, Jody Leonardo, MD, assistant professor of neurosurgery at UB, and Veetai Li, MD, clinical associate professor of neurosurgery, will teach the course. Guest faculty are Fred Gentili, MD, MSc, FRCSC, FACS, professor of neurosurgery, University Health Network, University of Toronto; and Peter Nakaji, MD, professor of neurosurgery at Creighton University and director, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.