zbrain zbrain
  brain-surgery.net.au
consultation and appointmentwww.brain-surgery.us brain-aneurysm.com
   
 

Neurosurgical Education & Research @ TCH


Above: Dr Khurana's Awake Brain Surgery Team using Medtronic Navigation Technology (For more information, click on the In The Media link in the green banner above; Poster credit: J. Valenzuela, Medtronic Australasia)


ANNOUNCEMENT:

On May 6, 2008, The Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), the Hon. Mr Jon Stanhope MLA, and the ACT Health Minister, the Hon. Ms Katy Gallagher MLA, publicly announced the ACT Government's multimillion dollar investment in the development of a state-of-the-art neurosurgical operating suite at The Canberra Hospital. This level of government funding, together with the support of our Community's benefactors, should see this vision through to completion in the near future. It is anticipated that this suite, with intraoperative MRI, cutting-edge neuronavigation, image projection and telemedicine capabilities, will be one of the most advanced operating rooms in Australasia, thereby representing an essential technological platform from which we can continue to deliver worldclass neurosurgical care.


Click on the below to visit the relevant section(s) on this Page:

Medical Student and Junior Medical Officer Education – Our training commitment to Medicine's future
GP Articles – Editorials of interest written by Dr Khurana for our General Practice colleagues
Trainees – Our training commitment to Australasian neurosurgical registrars
Clinical Research – Clinical neurosurgery research projects under way at TCH
Basic Sciences Research – Bench top translational research projects relevant to neurosurgery


Medical Students and Junior Medical Officers: Under the leadership of Professor Guan Chong, Professor of Surgery at the Australian National University Medical School (ANUMS), Dr Khurana supervises the surgical component of training of final (fourth) year medical students at ANUMS. For a list of some of the tutorials given by Dr Khurana, visit: www.brain-surgery.us/medstudent.html (or just ).

Senior medical students from ANUMS regularly rotate through TCH Neurosurgery in 4-week blocks. Junior medical officers are also an essential part of our overall team, and are trained in the basic principles of neurosurgical patient investigation and care during their rotation with us. The Department also welcomes medical students visiting from other universities.

For inquiries, please contact our Office Manager, Ms Vicki Gardiner, per the details posted on the Consultation & Appointment page:

Our visiting medical students (2007-)

  • Helena Jang, University of New South Wales, Australia (2007)
  • Saurabh Saluja, Harvard University, USA (2007)
  • Sean Spencer, University of Pennsylvania, USA (2007)
  • Sumit Chadha, University of Queensland, Australia (2007)
  • Sudipto Pal, University of New South Wales, Australia (2007)
  • Sankar Manchella, Australian National University, Australia (2008) - Special Project Associate
    • Special Project: Awake Craniotomy Experience at The Canberra Hospital

Australasian Trainees: The Canberra Hospital Neurosurgery Department, like its counterparts across Australia and New Zealand, is responsible for the education and training of accredited and prospective trainees of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons' (RACS) Surgical Education and Training (SET) Program. This responsibility means that our trainees have access to the teaching and supervised operative experience they need to make them competent neurosurgeons, per the requirements and expectations of the RACS and its Executive Board of Neurosurgery.

Through links with the presitgious John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR; ) of the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, ANZ registrars also have the option of completing, in addition to their accredited clinical year, a year of basic sciences research as part of their "research year" accreditation towards the FRACS. Trainees interested in the optional, accredited "research year" are welcome to contact our Department's Office for further information: (02) 6244 3937.

Our Registrars (2006-)

  • 2006: Dr Adam Fowler (Senior), Dr Heather Kirk
  • 2007: Dr Heather Kirk (Senior), Dr Prashanth Rao, Dr Kevin Seow
  • 2008: Dr Ali Ghahreman (Senior), Dr Ali Hameid, Dr Prashanth Rao, Dr Kevin Seow
GP Articles: Published in Canberra Doctor, the Official print publication of the ACT Division of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), these articles have been written for a diverse audience, including general practitioners, junior medical officers, senior medical students and nursing and paramedical staff. Their downloadable PDF versions are available by clicking on the titles below.

For the Official Website of Canberra Doctor:

Neurosurgical Research at TCH: A number of clinical research projects have been commenced in 2007 at TCH under Dr Khurana's supervision. These projects, all well under way, include:

  • Intraoperative ultrasonographic flowmetry - Project leader: Dr Heather Kirk (Registrar). Abstract delivered as a platform presentation at the Society of British Neurological Surgeons (SBNS) Annual Meeting, Liverpool, England, April 2008; manuscript in preparation.
  • Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) - Project leader: Dr Prashanth Rao (Registrar). MRS abstract delivered as a platform presentation at the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia (NSA) Annual Meeting, Gold Coast, September 2007; manuscript in preparation.
  • Intraoperative fluorescence angiography - Project leader: Dr Kevin Seow (Registrar). Abstract received the Best Paper Award at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons ACT Division Meeting, Canberra, November 2007; manuscript in preparation.
  • Selective awake craniotomy - Project leader: Mr Sankar Manchella (Medical Student, Australian National University Medical School, & Special Project Associate with TCH Neurosurgery). Combined retrospective and prospective study in progress.

Dr Khurana is also collaborating as an Associate Investigator with Dr Caryl Hill (Principal Investigator and Professor of Neuroscience at the Australian National University) on a project funded by the National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Some New Brain Surgery Technologies in Australasia: Some new intraoperative technologies to enhance the safety and success of neurovascular surgery are shown below. These technologies were recently introduced to the Australia & New Zealand (ANZ) region by Dr Khurana's team at The Canberra Hospital. Images and technologies courtesy Transonic Systems Inc., Leica Microsystems Inc., Michael Bryant/Lifehealthcare and The Canberra Hospital.

Upper three panels: Quantitative neurovascular microultrasonography, first carried out in ANZ by Dr Khurana's team on March 23, 2007. The small hand-held ultrasound probe (upper-middle) and flowmetre (upper-right) measure blood flow across "at risk" vessels (upper-left) during brain aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation and tumour surgery. Detection of any substantial differences in flow measurements before and after surgical treatment of these conditions allows the surgeon to make any necessary corrections before the patient leaves the operating room. Alternatively, the device can confirm the success of disconnection of arteriovenous malformations and fistulae. Use of the device has been proposed to significantly decrease the risk of postoperative stroke. Lower four panels: Fluorescence cerebral angiography first carried out in ANZ by Dr Khurana's team on August 9, 2007. The new Leica OH4 operating microscope (lower-left panel) at The Canberra Hospital allows neurosurgeons to conveniently image blood vessels in real-time using fluorescence technology. An example is shown in the remaining lower panels (15 mm "fusiform" brain aneurysm of the internal carotid artery seen through the operating microscope during "normal" and "fluorescence" imaging modes immediately prior to surgical clipping). Imaging the same area in fluorescence after surgical treatment allows the surgeon to more clearly confirm the effectiveness of the procedure, including the desired cessation of blood flow through the aneurysm or malformation, and preservation of blood flow through surrounding "at-risk" vessels, even the smallest "perforating" vessels as shown above. This technology represents a major advance in safety during neurovascular surgery.