Welcome

Neurosurgery is a surgical discipline that specializes in the nervous system.  Our area of expertise encompasses pathological processes of the central and peripheral nervous systems along with their respective soft tissue and skeletal structures.  A variety of neurosurgical subspecialties are represented in the Division of Neurosurgery at Saint Louis University.

Over the last decade, one of the most vibrant advances in neurological surgery has been in the field of computer-assisted, image-guided surgery.  We are at the cutting edge of this revolution.  The technology behind the image-guided neuronavigation system, also known as the StealthStation, was originally developed by Dr. Richard Bucholz.  It has allowed us to expand into areas of neurosurgery that include neoplasms, epilepsy, functional neurosurgery, stereotactic radiosurgery, and spinal stabilization.  In the Bakewell Section of Image Guided Surgery, we are exploring applications such as  registration of imaging to the patient's anatomy, the use of computer analysis to extract information from anatomical image data sets, and the use of intra-operative ultrasound and MRI to track structures within the brain as they move in response to surgical procedures. 

Dr. Saleem Abdulrauf is the director of the Vascular and Skull Base Program at Saint Louis University.  He and his team have continued to pioneer new techniques in cerebral revascularization since his staff appointment in 2000.  He is now world renown for his experience in EC-IC bypass procedures.  Dr. Abdulrauf is the director and executor of multiple nationally-acclaimed annual courses for neurosurgical trainees administered exclusively at Saint Louis University's state-of-the-art Practical Anatomy and Surgical Education Center for Anatomical Science Education.

The recently acquired MEG (magnetoencephelography) unit allows us to more accurately identify and localize eloquent regions of the brain including motor, sensory, and auditory cortex as well as identify epileptogenic foci.  This data is merged with MR and CT imaging as a means of pre-operative planning.  In the operating room, we use this information in conjunction with neuronavigational systems such as the StealthStation and iMRI (intra-operative MRI) to perform safer, more precise operations with outcomes that have until now been nearly impossible to achieve.

The neurosurgical ORs at Saint Louis University Hospital are equipped with fully functional and operational Dextroscope and TrueVision™ real-time 3DHD vision systems.  These technologies allows us to view and manipulate patient imaging in three-dimensional true and virtual reality environments.  Imaging modailities that can be imported into and merged within the Dextroscope and TrueVision platforms include but are not limited to MR, CT, angiogram, PET, and MEG data.  With the assistance of the Dextroscope and TrueVision systems, complex anatomical relationships can be visualized, virtual operations can be performed, and pre-operative surgical planning is taken to a new level.

Our institutions are tertiary care, level one trauma centers with over 3000 trauma admissions per year combined.  The faculty serve as neurosurgical consultants for the VA health system in Saint Louis.  Finally, Saint Louis University Hospital operates and maintains its own CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery System under the direction and guidance of Dr. Richard Bucholz.