Newswise — ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. (September 12, 2012) — The latest issue of AANS Neurosurgeon (Vol. 21, Issue No. 3) assesses the use of decompressive craniectomy to treat children who have sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI).

AANS Neurosurgeon — the American Association of Neurological Surgeons’ quarterly online magazine — is now available at www.aansneurosurgeon.org.

The article, “The Role of Decompressive Craniectomy for Traumatic Brain Injury in Children,” poses the scenario of a five-year-old who suffers a head injury after being struck by a hit-and-run driver. Written by AANS Neurosurgeon Editorial Board Member Andrew Jea, MD, FAANS; and co-authors Chris D. Glover, MD; and Timothy C. Lee, MD, for the publication’s Gray Matters section, the piece notes a scarcity of investigations that evaluate a craniectomy’s effectiveness in treating young TBI patients. Within the case study, neurosurgical professionals are prompted to a complete a brief survey asking how they would treat the patient themselves.

Gray Matters is a regular section of AANS Neurosurgeon in which doctors present neurosurgical cases and ask readers to chime in on how they would handle each scenario. Recent “Gray Matters” articles include “A Case of Symptomatic Carotid Stenosis” (http://www.aansneurosurgeon.org/210212/10/1614) and “Case of a Grade III Intraventricular Hemorrhage of Prematurity” (http://www.aansneurosurgeon.org/210112/10/1223).

Although AANS Neurosurgeon is a quarterly publication, daily updates are made to its Newsline section at http://www.aansneurosurgeon.org/category/newsline/, in addition to https://twitter.com/aansneurosurg — follow us!

Founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is a scientific and educational association with nearly 8,200 members worldwide. The AANS is dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to provide the highest quality of neurosurgical care to the public. All active members of the AANS are certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Neurosurgery) of Canada or the Mexican Council of Neurological Surgery, AC. Neurological surgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the entire nervous system including the spinal column, spinal cord, brain and peripheral nerves. For more information, visit www.AANS.org.###