Radiofrequency surgery: 3500 years old and still young.

PURPOSE: To review the history of Radiofrequency surgery, delineate the actual situation and describe the applications in eyelid surgery. DESIGN: Review. METHODS: Review of literature, personal communication with several pioneers in the field, and own experience. CONCLUSION: Radiofrequency surgery has evolved from rude burning to a sophisticated surgical technique.

Surgeons and their tools: a history of surgical instruments and their innovators--Part II: The surgeon's wand-evolution from knife to scalpel to electrocautery.

This is the second of five articles reviewing the historical origins of some of the more commonly used surgical instruments and takes "time out" to remind current surgeons about the surgical pioneers on whose shoulders they now stand and whose inventions they now use.

Antoni Christian Bryk (1820-1881) - professor of forensic medicine at Jagiellonian University (1852-1860), and director of the surgical clinic of Jagiellonian University in Cracow (1860-1881).

scientific discipline. In the 19th century two milestones revolutionised surgery: the development of narcosis, which enabled painless surgery, and the introduction of antisepsis and asepsis. The author presents the beginnings of academic surgery in Cracow. Its pioneer surgeons are presented. Extensive research was undertaken to collect the literature and documents in Polish, Austrian and German archives and libraries in order to prepare this study. Biographical details of the director of the Surgical Clinic, Prof. Antoni Bryk, are provided. He was the first person in Poland to introduce antisepsis and galvanocautery as routine procedures in the Cracow Clinic. The introduction of antisepsis contributed to a reduction in infection during surgery, and a reduction in postoperative mortality in Cracow Surgical Clinic. In this way Professor Bryk became the first Polish surgeon to apply Lister's antiseptic method in the treatment of wounds. Thus enlarged, the scope of surgery for intracranial, bone and other procedures became routine. Surgery is the oldest discipline in medicine. Poland's first university chair of surgery was established in the 18th century. Surgery, which until then had been the domain of barbers and bath house attendants, became a clinical,

[The Bulletin du cancer: the years before the First World War]. / Le Bulletin de l'Association française pour l'étude du cancer de 1909 à 1914 : le Bulletin du cancer dans sa première période.

Three years after its founding in 1909, the Association française pour l'étude du cancer is a major scientific society developing transdisciplinary debates particularly on innovative therapeutics in cancer, such as the developing use of radium. The Association at that time assembles together all the French medical elite. Reading the Bulletin offers a clear view of the brilliant monthly debates. First World War stopped the life of the Association for four years. After this break, the set up of dedicated centers for cancer treatment was responsible for a major turn in the Association's life.

The life and legacy of William T. Bovie.

This Historian's Address, presented at the North Pacific Surgical Association 2012 meeting, held in Spokane, Washington, on November 9, 2012, briefly reviews the life and surgical contributions of the inventor William T. Bovie and his collaboration with Dr Harvey Cushing, which led to the widespread acceptance of surgical electrocautery for dissection and hemostasis.

Controversy over the etiology and therapy of retinal detachment: the struggles of Jules Gonin.

Retinal tears were recognized as soon as ophthalmoscopy became available. They were initially considered to be secondary events, from choroidal exudation and pressure behind the detached retina. This led von Graefe and others to recommend cuts in the retina to drain subretinal fluid into the vitreous cavity. De Wecker (1875, 1879) and Leber (1882) first proposed that intrinsic tears within the retina are the cause of retinal detachment, but they faced extreme and long lasting opposition for this view. Surgical results at this time were uniformly disastrous, and therapeutic nihilism still prevailed when Dufour and Gonin became convinced around 1904-1906 that the retinal tear was indeed the origin of the detachment. It took ten years, however, before Gonin figured out how to close tears by exact placement of heat coagulation ("thermopuncture") and provide therapeutic evidence for his beliefs. When he first presented his results in 1921, colleagues jeered at him, especially Deutschmann and Sourdille who, like the other ophthalmic surgeons, denied the role of the tear (and still made "therapeutic" incisions through the detached retina). Recognition of Gonin's approach finally came at the International Congresses in Amsterdam 1928 and in Madrid in 1933. Sourdille modified his approach when his son Gabriel convinced him to change after 1930, but Deutschmann stuck to his horrific procedure until his death in 1935. Then a new generation of retinal surgeons took over, with subsequent discussion focused on finding the best methods to close the tears.

A history of the surgical management of glaucoma.

Many new surgeries have been devised since 1856, when von Graefe discovered that iridectomy is an effective surgical method for acute glaucoma treatment. Two years later, De Wecker presented sclerotomy as a procedure for chronic glaucoma. In 1900, internal filtration (cyclodialysis) was developed. In 1932, ciliodestruction was suggested. The four approaches, relief of pupillary block, external filtration, internal filtration, and ciliodestruction, are still the basic techniques of glaucoma surgeries over 100 years later. There have been two basic approaches to lowering eye pressure surgically: increase outflow and decrease inflow of aqueous humor. Although the majority of surgeries used nowadays were introduced in the 1960s, their roots can be traced to the work of surgeons in the 19th century. Trabeculectomy, in use since the mid-1960s, is the most effective glaucoma surgery in terms of intraocular pressure reduction but carries its own limitations. Non-penetrating glaucoma surgeries emerged at the same time trabeculectomy was presented, but they are not used as commonly as trabeculectomy. Molteno introduced the first effective shunt and followed by others. Since 1995, the majority of new surgeries have consisted of new implantable devices including SOLX, iStent, and Ex-PRESS shunt. This article will review the history of glaucoma surgery and describe the fundamentals of different glaucoma procedures.

Historical development of bipolar coagulation.

In 1926, a physicist at Harvard named William T. Bovie created an instrument, which revolutionized the medical profession--the unipolar electrocautery device. This incredible device could make surgical incisions and provide hemostasis as well. It came with a price, however, as it also created new risks and dangers in the operating room, such as electrical burns and fires. To resolve some of these problems, a bipolar electrocautery device was developed. The historical development and principles of both unipolar and bipolar electrocautery will be discussed in this article.

History of bipolar coagulation.

Bipolar coagulation heralded an age of improved hemostasis for microneurosurgery. This, coupled with an improved understanding of microsurgical anatomy, has allowed access to areas of the brain once considered inaccessible. In this review, we trace the history of bipolar coagulation.

Tonsillectomy: haemorrhaging ideas.

Tonsil surgery has been described for over 3000 years. Haemorrhage following tonsillectomy remains the most serious complication of surgery. Over recent years several audits have been gathering data on current trends in tonsil surgery and clinical outcomes throughout England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The results support a return to traditional dissection with ties to reduce the risk of post-operative haemorrhage. We describe the changes that have occurred to improve efficacy and safety during the evolution of the modern tonsillectomy.