Pioneers of stereotactic neurosurgery

The beginnings of stereotactic and functional neurosurgery can be traced as far back as 1873 when Dittmar reported the use of a guiding device for the placement of probes into the medulla oblongata in animals. Further pioneering work was done by Zernov and Altukhov in Russia (1889), Clarke and Horsley in England (1908), and Spiegel and Wycis in the United States (1947), as well as others. After a promising initiation, interest in stereotactic neurosurgery waned after the introduction of L-dopa in the 1960s. Later, the introduction and incorporation of new imaging technology into stereotactic techniques signaled the rebirth of stereotactic and functional neurosurgery as a versatile and exciting subspecialty not only in the resection of previously unresectable lesions but also in the functional restoration of central nervous system function. This brief paper will focus on the personalities that have pioneered stereotactic neurosurgery over the past century.