World-Renowned Neurosurgeons Study Brain Anatomy at UAMS
| LITTLE ROCK – A group of 30 neurosurgeons from 10 countries are at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) today through Feb. 7 for a hands-on anatomy course focusing on the white matter of the brain.
The three-day course in the microneurosurgical laboratory at UAMS is under the guidance of Ugur Ture, M.D., a professor at Yeditepe University Hospital, Istanbul, an internationally recognized microneurosurgeon and leading expert in the study of fiber tracts of the central nervous system.
Paulo Kadri, M.D., a professor from Brazil and Niklaus Krayenbuehl, M.D., a professor from Switzerland, both of whom trained with Ture, will assist the neurosurgeons in attendance through the intricate process of white matter dissection.
“It is an honor to have such a distinguished group together at UAMS expanding and sharing knowledge that ultimately will improve patient care,” said John D. Day, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Neurosurgery in the UAMS College of Medicine, internationally known leader in skull base surgery and specialist in Gamma Knife surgery and vascular disorders of the brain and skull base.
Ture said this white matter anatomy course is intended to educate participants in this distinct and complex brain anatomy. The white matter of the brain comprises the interior region of the brain and spinal cord, Ture said, where trillions of perfectly organized vital fibers connect many billions of neurons that are constantly communicating with each other. Apart from fiber tracts, ultra-fine vessels course through the white matter, as well as cerebrospinal fluid, immune cells and stem cells.
“This complex fiber construction is not visible to the naked eye at surgical exploration,” Ture said. “Examining the properties of these tracts of fibers on cadaver brains, the participants will then possess the qualities and potential to project a detailed three-dimensional image in their imagination of the precise arrangement of the fibers.”
That image, Ture said, will act as a guide when removing a brain lesion, which will result in more delicate, skillful and refined surgical procedures.
Other UAMS experts leading the course include M. Gazi Yasargil, M.D., professor of neurosurgery; Bruce W. Newton, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Science in the UAMS College of Medicine; and Edguardo Angtuaco, M.D., professor in the Department of Radiology in the UAMS College of Medicine.
UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Related Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. Named best Little Rock metropolitan area hospital by U.S. News & World Report, it is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has more than 2,800 students and 775 medical residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including about 1,000 physicians and other professionals who provide care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com.