Department of Neurosurgery
History of the Department
In the year of 1949, in the State Institute of Physical Therapy and Neurology (GIFON), on the initiative of Corr. USSR Academy of Sciences, Academician of the Byelorussian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR N.I.Graschenkov, (Fig. 1) was created the first neurosurgical unit for 40 beds. It was the very first one in the Republic headed by N.I.Graschenkov. From the very first years of the creation of the Neurosurgery Department its employees were actively involved in both clinical practice and in scientific research. The evidence of that was the defense in 1950 of the Ph.D. thesis by V.I.Lerman "Clinic and surgical treatment of tumors of the frontal lobe of the brain."
Assistant professor E.I.Zlotnik (Fig. 2) was appointed in 1951 the head of the neurosurgical department of the Belarusian Scientific Research Institute of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Physiotherapy. With his name there are connected the creation of the Belarusian neurosurgical school and major achievements and successes of the Belarusian neurosurgery.
A talented scientist he was the first Belarusian neurosurgeons to successfully defend, in 1955, his doctoral dissertation "Characteristics of the secretory function of the stomach in the residual period of traumatic brain disease" (scientific supervisor - Prof. I.S.Babchin.). He was the first in the Soviet Union to have introduced microneurosurgical technologies based on the use of surgical optics (surgical microscope, binocular magnifying glass), a successful surgery for arterial aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations of cerebral vessels was carried out, has developed a number of original operations for occlusive lesions of the carotid arteries. The results of these studies were presented in the books by prof. E.I.Zlotnik and his disciples "Hemostasis and controlled hypotension in brain surgery" (1965), "Brain aneurysm" (1967).
In 1970, the monograph by V.S.Mayata, G.E.Ostroverhov, E.I.Zlotnik, N.K.Bogolepov "Surgery of the carotid arteries" (1968) was awarded the Burdenko Prize of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences. From Neurosurgical department there appeared the doctorate researchers: V.I.Lerman (1964), I.A.Sklyut (1970), M.V.Pavlovets (1971), S.F.Sekach (1971), F.V.Oleshkevich (1973 ). In 1967 there was took place in Minsk the All-Union Conference of Young Neurosurgeons, attended by representatives of all the leading neurosurgical schools of the Soviet Union.
In the 70th , under the supervision of prof. E.I.Zlotnik, there was started a research on the problems of microsurgery of the acoustic neuromas, transplantation of peripheral nerves and the anesthetic management of neurosurgical interventions, which have been summarized in the doctoral dissertation of A.F.Smeyanovich (1981), I.Z.Stolkarts (1982), E. A.Korotkevich (1986), a number of master's theses and two monographs - "Acoustic Neuroma" (E.I.Zlotnik, I.A.Sklyut, 1970) and "The Facial Nerve in the Surgery of Acoustic Neuromas" (E.I.Zlotnik , I.A.Sklyut, A.F.Smeyanovich, E.A.Korotkevich, 1978).
One of the most significant events in the history of the Belarusian neurosurgery was the award in 1985 given to Prof. E.I.Zlotnik, in a group of prominent neurosurgeons of the country, the USSR State Prize in the field of science for the development of the problem of surgical treatment of cerebrovascular diseases.
From 1989, the Neurosurgical Department of the Research Institute of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Physiotherapy and the Republican Center of Microsurgery was headed by one of the pupils of Professor E.I.Zlotnik, MD A.F.Smeyanovich (Fig. 3). By that time the department had underwent major personnel changes. In the place of the experienced employees there appeared young neurosurgeons who got actively engaged in both the clinical and the research work.
Among the studies of those years conducted in the clinic one should mention the development of the methods for diagnosis and microsurgical treatment of hernias of lumbar intervertebral discs and lumbar stenosis, methods of nerve and muscle surgery for functional recovery of the upper limb with brachial plexus injury, methods of treatment of brain abscesses and many others. For the successful research on the problems of diagnostics and treatment of neurological manifestations of lumbar neurologic disorders the scientists, including Professor A.F.Smeyanovich, was awarded the State Prize of the Republic of Belarus (1994).
In 1997, Professor A.F. Smeyanovich was appointed director of the Institute of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Physiotherapy, the position he held till 2005. In 2004 he was elected a corresponding member, and in 2009 - academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Over the years, the institute has expanded the spectrum of neurosurgical research, improved outcome of the neurosurgery, and formed a new scientific area - neurooncology.
These studies were realized in Yu.G.Shanko’s doctorate dissertation (2006) and the Prize of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus in 2008 and Yu.G.Shanko A.F.Smeyanovichu for a cycle of works "Development of new principles and technologies microneurosurgical treatment of tumors of the skull base." The importance of these achievements was underscored by the Belarusian-Russian Research Conference held in April 2009 within the framework of the All-Russian scientific-practical conference "Polenovskie read" (St. Petersburg).
At present the Neurosurgical Department includes a Research Group for the Study of Cerebral Ischemia and Edema and the Pathomorphology Group. Threre are 14 researches in the Department , of whom there are four Doctors of Medical Sciences. Neurosurgical Division is actively engaged in new scientific developments for the treatment of brain gliomas, skull base tumors, vascular diseases of the brain, compression forms lumbar degenerative disc diseases, severe head injuries and their consequences, cellular technology in the treatment of diseases of the central nervous system and others.
Belarusian Neurosurgical School founded by Professor E.I.Zlotnik, continues to develop new ways for advancement of research and archiving better results of scientific and practical work.
Research Group for the Study of Cerebral Ischemia and Edema
The group is headed by, Professor Ernst P. Titovets, Ph.D., M.D. Prof. Ernst Titovets is a well-known scientist (the author of over 200 scientific publications and 19 inventions and patents), is engaged in a research on the mechanism of brain oxygenation, cerebral water metabolism, the pathogenesis of hypoxia and brain edema, as well as developing ways of metabolic and pharmacological correction those disorders. He authored the book “Aquaporins of Man and Animals. Basic and Clinical Aspects” (2007) where he summarized some of his research.
He proposed and substantiated the concept of mitochondria-level hypoxia, established neuroprotective action mechanism of the synthetic amino-quinone derivatives, developed a number of analytical and biochemical methods protected by copyright certificates and patents.
Prof. Ernst Titovets has developed an oscillatory mechanism for brain fluid metabolism based on an interdisciplinary approach. This development makes it possible to view the problems of brain hypoxia, ischemia and edema form modern positions and outlines new approaches to understanding the pathogenesis mechanism and developing means of therapy of brain diseases
Research Personnel of the Department:
- • Arnold Smeyanovich - Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Belarus, head of the neurosurgical department;
- • Evgeny Karatkevich - Doctor of Medicine, Professor, Chief Scientific Officer;
- • Ernst Titovetc - Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, Chief Scientific Officer;
- • Sergey Bezzubik - Candidate of Medical Sciences, leading researcher, laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Belarus.
- •Sergey Kapatsevich - Candidate of medical sciences, leading researcher;
- •Alexandr Golovko - Candidate of medical sciences, senior researcher;
- •Alekseevets Vladimir - senior Researcher, senior researcher, neurosurgeon;
- •Mark Selsky - Candidate of medical sciences;
- • Vladimir Alekseevets - senior researcher;
- • Eduard Vasilevich - senior Researcher;
- • Sergei Stankevich - researcher;
- • Olga Zmachinskaya - researcher;
- • Elena Chernysch - researcher;
- • Ekaterina Basiakova - researcher;
Main Research Areas
1. Study of the mechanisms of ischemia and cerebral edema of various etiologies;
2. The study of cerebral hypoxia associated with impaired oxygen metabolism of red blood cells .;
3. Cerebrovascular pathology (arterial brain aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation).
4. Brain tumors;
5. Injuries and diseases of the cranial and peripheral nerves;
6. The intramedullary and extramedullary tumors of the spinal cord and its roots;
7. Hydrocephalus;
8. The drug-resistant epilepsy, symptomatic epilepsy, epileptic syndromes, hyperkinesis, not amenable to medical treatment;
9. Parkinson's disease, generalized muscle dystonia;
10. Arachnoid and other brain and spinal cord cysts;
11. Degenerative diseases of the spine (herniated discs, spinal stenosis).
12. Defects and anomalies of the central nervous system, skull and spine;
13. The consequences of traumatic brain injury;
