Neurosurgeon pushes brain bypass to new heights

Also in the March issue of the journal, Abdulauf shared details of a surgery he performed to treat a patient's brain aneurysm, a weak area in the wall of an artery that supplies blood to the brain.

Abdulrauf's high-flow procedure means improved outcomes for patients. His technique is less invasive and keeps more blood flowing in the brain than previous surgeries.

Abulrauf likens brain bypass to bypass surgery for the heart. When a patient has an aneurysm involving a brain blood vessel or a tumor at the base of the skull wrapping around a blood vessel, surgeons eliminate the problem vessel by replacing it with an artery from another part of the body.

Brain bypass surgery was first developed in the 1960's in Switzerland by M. Gazi Yasargil, M.D, who is considered the father of modern neurosurgery. Used for complex aneurysms and tumors deep in the base of the skull, Abdulrauf built upon the procedure developed by his mentor, Yasargil.

Instead of replacing a problem artery with a healthy one from the scalp, as the original procedure did, Abdulrauf used an artery from the arm to allow a larger vessel to be replaced.

"With this new technique, we can treat patients in a way that minimizes recovery time and offers the best chance at keeping their brains healthy," Abdulrauf said.