Abstract
This article reviews the evolution of microneurosurgical anatomy (MNA) with special reference to the development of anatomy, surgical anatomy, and microsurgery. Anatomy can be said to have started in the ancient Greek era with the work of Hippocrates, Galen, and others as part of the pursuit of natural science. In the sixteenth century, Vesalius made a great contribution in reviving Galenian knowledge while adding new knowledge of human anatomy. Also in the sixteenth century, Ambroise Paré can be said to have started modern surgery. As surgery developed, more detailed anatomical knowledge became necessary for treating complicated diseases. Many noted surgeons at the time were also anatomists eager to spread anatomical knowledge in order to enhance surgical practice. Thus, surgery and anatomy developed together, with advances in each benefiting the other. The concept of surgical anatomy evolved in the eighteenth century and became especially popular in the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century, microsurgery was introduced in various surgical fields, starting with Carl O. Nylen in otology. It flourished and became popularized in the second half of the century, especially in the field of neurosurgery, following Jacobson and Suarez’s success in microvascular anastomosis in animals and subsequent clinical application as developed by M.G. Yasargil and others. Knowledge of surgical anatomy as seen under the operating microscope became important for surgeons to perform microneurosurgical procedures accurately and safely, which led to the fuller development of MNA as conducted by many neurosurgeons, among whom A.L. Rhoton, Jr. might be mentioned as representative.
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Acknowledgements
The authors appreciate Dr. Ossama Al-Mefty of the Department of Neurosurgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School for his valuable advice during the preparation of this article. They thank also Dr. Hiroshi Nakagawa, Prof. Emeritus, Aichi Medical University; Dr. Yukinari Kakizawa, Department of Neurosurgery, Suwa Red Cross Hospital; and Dr. Taichi Kin, Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Tokyo for their useful suggestions and cooperation.
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All authors read and approved the final manuscript. SK made a study design and drafted the manuscript. TM, TS, and KM reviewed the papers in the literature, extracted data from them, and contributed to writing the manuscript. HB and JR contributed to revising the original draft.
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Kobayashi, S., Matsushima, T., Sakai, T. et al. Evolution of microneurosurgical anatomy with special reference to the history of anatomy, surgical anatomy, and microsurgery: historical overview. Neurosurg Rev 45, 253–261 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10143-021-01597-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10143-021-01597-z