Frontiers | Microsurgical Anatomy of the Central Nervous System and Skull Base

About this Research Topic

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Background

Among the various branches of knowledge that surgeons must acquire in their education, anatomical knowledge is foundational. The microsurgical anatomy of the central nervous system and skull base is an area of expertise where art and technique meet. Various structures separated by mere millimeters can cause severe neurological deficits if they are injured. Breakthroughs that have revolutionized this branch of surgical anatomy include the use of the microscope in anatomical dissections, Klinger's technique for studying the white fibers of the brain, the development of different surgical approaches to reach deep brain regions, the use of neuroimaging techniques (DTI) to visualize the connections of the brain, and the use of cortical and subcortical mapping to study the exact function of a specific patient´s brain region. Thanks to this evolving knowledge, regions formerly considered "no man's land" have opened to surgical access and now allow us to provide better results than ever in the history of disorders known to these regions.

The purpose of this Research Topic is to select studies that reflect this evolution and the translation of knowledge from the microsurgical laboratory to the operative theater. Regarding the skull base, microsurgical anatomy and approaches to the orbit, cavernous sinus, medial fossa, infratemporal fossa, pterygopalatine fossa, cerebellopontine angle, temporal bone and craniocervical junction are of particular interest to this collection. Regarding the central nervous system, studies of the anatomy and approaches to the mesial temporal region, cerebral ventricles, insular lobe, central core, white brain fibers, as well as the correlation of anatomical findings with brain mapping are also of interest. Such investigations have allowed us to revisit brain regions historically defined by rigid concepts and examine them anew with cerebral mapping techniques.

Four themes will be especially welcome:
1. Articles that study the different surgical approaches to a particular region of the brain or skull base.
2. Articles that correlate anatomy with intraoperative findings and the distortions that certain diseases cause.
3. Article that draw a correlation between anatomy and the findings of imaging techniques.
4. Articles that revisit the concepts of classical neurofunctional anatomy with the findings of cortical and subcortical mapping.

Keywords: Neurofunctional Anatomy, Intraoperative, Brain Mapping, Brain Surgery, Imaging Techniques

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