Diagnostic Assessment and Treatment of Peripheral Nerve Tumors

Tumors involving peripheral nerves may be extremely challenging lesions to diagnose and treat. In order to optimize their management, physicians should have a thorough knowledge of peripheral nerve anatomy and pathology (both gross and microscopic), as well as familiarity with microsurgical techniques and intraoperative neurophysiological recording.

This compendium deals with all aspects of tumors affecting peripheral nerves, from diagnosis to treatment; the topics it addresses range from epidemiology, anatomy, physiology, pathology, and clinical diagnosis to electrophysiology, imaging, genetic/cytomolecular aspects. Surgical approaches, biopsies and resection of various benign, malignant and pseudo-tumoral lesions, plexus tumors (both brachial and lumbosacral), and adjunctive treatment modalities and pain-related issues are described in detail.

The book is intended not only for neurosurgeons, hand surgeons, plastic and orthopedic surgeons new to the field, but also for seasoned specialists who wish to update their knowledge with new insights based on robust experimental and clinical material. In addition, it will be a helpful tool for general and oncological surgeons who are sometimes faced with the treatment of mass lesions that may be potential nerve tumors, and for all practitioners who are engaged in the arduous struggle to bring relief to patients affected by these lesions.

Fernando Guedes is Professor of Neurosurgery and Head of the Division of Neurosurgery at Gaffree e Guinle University Hospital, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. He is a member of the Deliberative Council of the Brazilian Society of Neurosurgery, Vice-chairman of the Peripheral Nerve Surgery Committee of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies and a member of the Teaching Commission of the Society of Neurosurgery of Rio de Janeiro. He is also a Former President of the Society of Neurosurgery of Rio de Janeiro, of the Society of Neurological Surgery of the Southern Cone, and of the Peripheral Nerve Chapter of the Latin American Federation of Societies of Neurosurgery - FLANC.

Eric L. Zager graduated magna cum laude in Biochemistry from Harvard College and received his MD degree at Stanford University. He completed residency training in Neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, and then was awarded a Congress of Neurological Surgeons clinical fellowship to study peripheral nerve surgery with Dr. Alan Hudson at the University of Toronto and with Dr. David Kline at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. He won the Galbraith Award in Cerebrovascular Surgery in 1988, and the Young Clinician Investigator Award from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in 1991. He has been on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania since 1989. Currently he holds the Endowed Chair: Neurosurgical Professorship in Academic Excellence at Penn. He has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals, over 150 chapters and reviews, as well as edited 2 textbooks on surgical disorders of peripheral nerve.

Debora Garozzo completed her medical degree in 1989 in Palermo and her residency program in Verona. In 2006 she established an academic collaboration with the Hand Surgery Department of Huashan hospital in Shanghai and organized regular meetings on brachial plexusmicroreconstruction in collaboration with the Chinese department directed by Prof. Gu from 2008 to 2012. She has also established strong academic collaborations with AIMS. She is currently based at the Neurospinal Hospital in Dubai.

Lukas Rasulic is a Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade and Head of the Department of Peripheral Nerve Surgery, Functional Neurosurgery and Pain Management Surgery at the Clinic for Neurosurgery, University Clinical Centre of Serbia.
President of the Serbian Neurosurgical Society and the Southeast Europe Neurosurgical Society, Chairman of the WFNS Committee for Peripheral Nerve and Brachial Plexus Surgery, Chair of the EANS Section for Peripheral Nerve Surgery. His main clinical and scientific area of interest is peripheral nerve surgery. He has published more than 500 scientific papers in international and national scientific indexed journals and chapters in scientific books.

Mariano Socolovsky is Chief of the Department of Neurosurgery at the Hospital de Clínicas, University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine. As he is specialized in peripheral nerve surgery, he runs the Unit of Peripheral Nerve Surgery and is Co-director of the Program for Treatment of Peripheral Nerve & Brachial Plexus Surgery, together with the Department of Neurosurgery, Orthopedics and Physiotherapy at the aforementioned medical institution. He also acted as Chairman of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies' Peripheral Nerve Surgery Committee (2013-2019) and is at present Vice-President of the Argentine Society of Neurosurgery (2020-2022). He has authored more than 60 Pubmed articles, 50 book chapters and 10 books.