Comprehensive Healthcare Simulation: Neurosurgery

Ali Alaraj, MD, FAHA, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Alaraj is a fellowship trained neurosurgeon and is dually trained in open vascular and endovascular neurosurgery. Dr. Alaraj's clinical practice includes treating patients with ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke (subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracranial bleeding, acute stroke) and his medical expertise includes neurocritical care, treating patients with acute stroke, intracranial bleeding, brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, complex dural arteriovenous fistulas, carotid cavernous fistulas, carotid artery and intracranial vessels stenosis. He has more than 80 published peer reviewed articles and textbook chapters and serves on the editorial board for Neurosurgery and Neurological Research journals. His research interests include outcomes of management of brain aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations; quantitative cerebral flow measures; computational quantification of intracranial flows by angiography, in addition to virtual reality simulation in neurosurgical training.

“The intended audience is anyone interested in exploring and possibly adopting or developing new ways to enhance our evolving apprenticeship model through the use of simulation. … The ultimate aim of this textbook is to provide an easily accessible platform where residents in training, practicing neurosurgeons, and organized neurosurgery as a whole can review the best evidence and applicability of the role of simulation in neurosurgical training.” (Ki-Eun Chang, Operative Neurosurgery, Vol. 17 (1), July, 2019)“The book seeks to shed light on the tools used both in the past and today, and gives a good overview of commercial tools … . I would recommend this book to those who collaborate with neurosurgeons in order to give them better planning and training tools. This book has much to offer for both engineers and computer scientists who have experience working with clinical colleagues and those who have just begun this journey, perhaps as graduate students.” (D. J. Williams, Computing Reviews, June 19, 2019)

• PART I. INTRODUCTION TO SIMULATION IN NEUROSURGERY.- 1. History of Simulation.- PART II.  PHYSCIAL MODELS SIMULATION.- 2. Ventriculostomy Simulation in Neurosurgery.- 3. Physical Simulators and Replicators in Endovascular Neurosurgery Training.- 4. 3D Printed Models in Neurosurgical Training.- 5. Synthetic Replica for Training in Microsurgical Anastomosis: An Important Frontier in Neurosurgical Education.- 6. Endovascular Surgical Neuroradiology Simulation.- PART III.  BIOLOGICAL MODELS SIMULATION.- 7. Biological Models for Neurosurgical Training in Microanastomosis.- 8. Pseudo Aneurysm Surgery Simulation Using the “Live Cadaver” Model for Neurosurgical Education.- 9. Use of Cadaveric Models in Simulation Training in Spinal Procedures.- 10. The Use of Simulation in the Training for Spinal Cord Stimulation for Treatment of Chronic Pain.- PART IV.  VIRTUAL REALITY SIMULATION.- 11. Introduction to Haptics.- 12. Competency Assessment in Virtual Reality-Based Simulationin Neurosurgical Training.- 13. Patient-specific Virtual Reality Simulation for Minimally-invasive Neurosurgery.- 14. Role of Immersive Touch Simulation in the Neurosurgical Training.- 15. Role of Surgical Simulation in Neurological Surgery and Aneurysm Clipping: The State of the Art.- 16. NeuroVR Simulator in Neurosurgical Training.- 17. Neurosurgical Anatomy and Approaches to Simulation in Neurosurgical Training.- 18. Virtual Reality Simulation for the Spine.- 19. The Use of Simulation in the Training for Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy for Amydalo-hippocampectomy for Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.- 20. Future of Visualization and Simulation in Neurosurgery.- PART V.  SIMULATION TRAINING COURSES.- 21. The Role of the NREF Endovascular and Cerebrovascular Courses in Neurosurgical Residency and Fellowship Training and Future Directions.- 22. Simulation Training Experience in Neurosurgical Training in Europe.- PART VI.  NON-PROCEDURAL TRAINING.- 23. High Fidelity Simulationin Neuroanesthesia.- 24. Neurocritical Care Simulation.