Dr. Paul McCormick
Dr. Paul C. McCormick, Galen Professor of Neurological Surgery and Director of the Columbia University Spine Center, served as guest editor on a special video supplement just published online by the Journal of Neurosurgery and Neurosurgery Focus*.
The supplement provides a “video atlas,” or comprehensive guide, to intradural spinal surgery. Intradural spinal surgery involves opening the dura, which is the tough sheath that covers the spinal cord, as it passes inside the bony vertebrae.
The videos in this supplement focus on a variety of spinal problems, and were submitted by some of the world’s foremost experts on each condition. Topics include:
- Tumors (nerve sheath tumors, astrocytomas, and many others)
- Vascular (blood vessel) malformations
- Functional disorders
- Rare disorders that are often overlooked or misdiagnosed (for example, arachnoid cysts, dorsal arachnoid web, or ventral spinal cord herniation).
Each video supplement covers its subject thoroughly, with preoperative diagnostic images as well as a full array of surgical details and procedure descriptions. The videos showcase both established best practice and newer, more innovative approaches. You may see the videos here*. The Journal of Neurosurgery produced eighteen high-quality videos in all, seven of which were created and narrated by Dr. McCormick.
The videos will inform and educate surgeons, but Dr. McCormick also envisions them serving as a resource for patients. “It surprised me how often patients requested to view a video of their condition prior to, or even after, treatment,” says Dr. McCormick. “With this supplement we hope to provide an enduring, effective tool for both medical professionals and patients.”
The full collection of videos that make up this supplement may be accessed here.
*Please note: The videos contain detailed surgical footage and we suggest they only be watched by interested adults.
Learn more about Dr. McCormick on his bio page here.
