Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital Blog — Drs. Cerullo, Sheinkop & Gleiber, Chicago

Insights by Leonard Cerullo, MD

I came into neurosurgery in an unusual fashion, actually aspiring to be a psychiatrist before becoming exposed to neurosurgery by a unique and powerful mentor, as such, I believe my perspective of medicine, surgery and the doctor-patient relationship is unique. Communication skills, in my world, are as important as surgical skills. In this blog, I will try to put both into perspective in discussing disease and treatment options from an historical as well as a current perspective. Medicine, especially the application of the neurosciences to medicine, is evolving rapidly. In my 35+ years of training and practice I have experienced many of these changes first hand.

Surgical procedures on the brain and spine have developed more in the past 25 years than in the previous 2500 years. On the other hand, Trephination (practiced by the Incas to release evil spirits) is still used to enter the skull, albeit more quickly, precisely, and for more concrete objectives. Much of the progress has been in improved imaging techniques and physiologic monitoring technologies. As my first Professor of neurosurgery, Dr. Paul Bucy, said: “The object of surgical research is to eliminate surgery”. Certainly, the recent advances, while not eliminating surgery, have significantly affected its performance.

The Chicago Institute for Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch (CINN) was founded 20 years ago to explore the clinical application of new technologies, to foster sub specialization within the field of Neurosurgery and to expand the horizons of treatment beyond the office or operating room in order to care for the patient as a person rather than a disease. This “holistic” approach recognizes the emotional, financial and spiritual needs of the ill and extends the armamentarium of care to include, traditional as well as non-traditional treatments including chiropractic, acupuncture, etc.

Through this blog, I will describe advances in medicine and patient care and their practical applications relating to treatment of brain and spine problems. I hope you will join me.

The Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital Blog was created to provide insightful brain, back, and joint information to people that struggle to find the right path in the maze of healthcare-related decisions they face today. The power of the internet is transforming health information and empowering people to take a front seat in managing their own health; correspondingly it has inspired Doctors Leonard Cerullo and Mitchell Sheinkop to share NOHC's cutting-edge resources with the online community.

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