Lorenz-Stoffel Neurotomy

Lorenz-Stoffler neurotomy

Lorenz-Stofflev neurotomy is a method of surgical treatment of diseases of the nervous system. It was developed by Austrian orthopedic surgeon Albert Lorenz and German orthopedic surgeon Alfred Stoffler at the beginning of the 20th century.

The essence of the method is that the surgeon makes a small incision in the scalp and then removes part of the bone that interferes with the normal functioning of the brain. It could be a tumor, cyst or other formation. After removing part of the bone, the surgeon closes the incision and applies stitches.

This method has a number of advantages over other treatment methods. First, it allows you to remove a tumor or cyst without damaging the brain. Secondly, it is less invasive than other methods such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Third, it can be used to treat tumors that are resistant to other treatments.

However, this method also has disadvantages. Firstly, it requires highly qualified surgeons and precision in performing the operation. Secondly, complications such as infection or bleeding may occur after surgery. Third, this method can be expensive and not always effective.

Overall, Lorenz-Stoffler neurotomy is an important method for treating diseases of the nervous system, but it is not the only treatment option. Each case must be considered individually, and the choice of treatment method should be based on the individual characteristics of the patient and his disease.

Lorenz-Stoffler neurotomy

Lorenz Stoffler is the name given to the German orthopedic surgeon who, in 1927, performed his most famous operation, known as Lorenz-Stoffler encephalotomy or simply neurotomy after their names. In this article we will look at this operation, which gave rise to a new era in the study of brain activity.

Story

Joseph Marie Lorenz was born in Neuss in Austria at the end of the 19th century. As the son of a worker, he graduated from medical school and became an orthopedic surgeon. However, instead of specializing in orthopedics, like many other young doctors of that time, Lorenz sought to learn the most subtle art of surgical technique. He tried to learn everything about the brain and its diseases using a microscope and delicate surgical instruments, which were not so widely available in those days.

Stoffil was a student of the neurosurgeon Karel Eugene Tzodot, a German physician and professor. He worked with Tzodotus for several years and in 1913 published his first work on neurosurgery, where he described cases of brain surgery.

In 1908, Lorenz and Stoffiler met in the surgical department of a hospital in the Austrian city of Linz. An unexpected coincidence happened - Lorenz encountered a patient suffering from a disease that Stoffil was studying, Tourette's syndrome, a disease with involuntary bodily movements. Stoffiller proposed installing electrodes in the patient’s brain for treatment. Although the device was not reliable enough, doctors successfully prescribed electrical stimulation, marking the first use of modern medical technology to treat the disease.

As time passed, Lawrence and Stofel became colleagues and friends, spending weeks and months together in brain surgery. Having discovered a significant percentage of the effectiveness of their methods, they wanted to try to conduct a large scientific experiment, joining forces in studying the human brain.

Carrying out the operation

The operation consisted of three stages, separated by an interval of 30 minutes. Each stage was optional: the first stage was the separation of the hemispheres, the second was the dissection of the cerebral cortex, and the third was carried out only after the successful work of the first two. The duration of the neurotomy was about 12 hours, of which the first stage took 8 hours. In fact, this is one of the first studies to examine the exchange of information between the two hemispheres of the brain. The operation was complex and required extreme concentration and skill from the surgeons.

Before the operation, work was done to study the anatomy of the brain and search for areas of the brain to divide. They also tested the way the brain communicates in animals, using a technique invented by American psychologist James P. Monroe. Monr determined that there is a direct flow of information