Neurological Surgery

ELEC694 / PNSG 607

Department
Neurosurgery

Clinical or Non-Clinical Course
Clinical

Physician Assessed Patient Facing
Yes

Prerequisites
None

Goal
The student will be directly involved with the initial evaluation and subsequent treatment of neurosurgical patients. Emphasis will be placed on neurological evaluation and the subsequent laboratory and radiographic investigation. The student will be either an observer or assistant in the operating room and will participate in the emergency care of neurosurgical patients.
The neurosurgery clerk will be expected to scrub on only a very limited number of cases but will be encouraged to see the pathology on the microscope on a number of cases.

Objectives
At the end of this course, the student will be able to:

  1. Be competent in doing a careful neurological-neurosurgical history and physical examination, an anatomical and pathological analysis, and a proposed investigation.
  2. Understand the pathophysiology, evaluation, and management of patients with intracranial and spinal trauma.
  3. Identify the common benign and malignant brain tumors in adults and children and have a basic knowledge of the treatment modalities available.
  4. Be able to specifically identify and diagnose the common cervical and lumbar radicular syndromes and outline a diagnostic therapeutic approach in cervical and lumbar radiculopathy.
  5. Identify, diagnose, and outline the management of the common entrapment syndromes, i.e., carpal tunnel syndrome and neuropathy.
  6. Recognize subarachnoid hemorrhage, outline the diagnostic steps in a subarachnoid hemorrhage and discuss in basic terms the management of intracranial aneurysms and anomalies.
  7. Examine, diagnose, and outline the treatment of the common ischemic and hemorrhage brain syndromes and discuss their management.
  8. Become knowledgeable concerning requirements for the intraoperative management of spinal and cranial disease in terms of the basic operative experiences.
  9. Become familiar with the common English language sources available for investigation of a problem, i.e., the “Journal of Neurosurgery” and “Neurosurgery.”

Method of Assessment

  • Standard Clinical 2wk Elective Evaluation - Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
  • Standard Clinical 4wk Elective Evaluation - Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail

Course Director
Sohail Syed, M.D.

Course Coordinator
Sondra Fox
sphidden@uic.edu
309.655.7779

Location
SFMC

Setting
Outpatient
Inpatient

Night Call
Yes

Laboratory
No

Weekends
Yes

House Staff
Yes

Number of Learners per Block
6

Duration
2 or 4 weeks

Who is this elective available to
Both M3s and M4s

Blocks Available
All