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Albert Rhoton Jr.

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Albert Rhoton Jr.
BornNovember 18, 1932
DiedFebruary 21, 2016
Gainesville, Florida
EducationOhio State University
Washington University School of Medicine
Years active1960s-present
Medical career
ProfessionNeurosurgeon, neuroscientist, inventor
InstitutionsUniversity of Florida Professor of Surgery and the Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery
Sub-specialtiesMicrosurgery, brain mapping
Notable worksCranial Anatomy and Surgical Approaches

Albert Loren Rhoton Jr., (November 18, 1932 – February 21, 2016) was an American neurosurgeon and a professor[1] specializing in microsurgical neuroanatomy.[2] He was on the editorial boards of six surgical journals, and worked as professor and chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Florida. He was also president of organizations such as the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, among other surgical organizations.[3]

A pioneer in the field of neuroanatomy, Rhoton was a leader in vastly expanding knowledge of the anatomy of the human brain. His microscopic studies using the surgical microscope mapped the brain's intricate blood vessel network and revealed previously unknown connections between vital centers of the brain.[4] At the University of Florida, he built the world's largest collection of three-dimensional images of the brain and published the world's best selling neurosurgical textbook, Cranial Anatomy and Surgical Approaches, both of which serve as guides for neurosurgeons across the globe.[4]

He developed and introduced a number of microsurgical techniques that improved the safety and effectiveness of neurosurgery,[2][5] including the use of the surgical microscope in neurosurgery.[6][7] He also designed many of the commonly used of microneurosurgical instruments,[8] for example the Rhoton Micro Dissectors designed for delicate work in the treatment of brain aneurysms and tumor resection.[9]

Early life and education

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Rhoton was born on November 18, 1932, in the small town of Parvin, Kentucky.[10][11] He grew up in a log cabin without plumbing or electricity in rural eastern Kentucky. His family moved to Akron, Ohio during the Second World War where his father was a rubber chemist.[10]

Rhoton earned his Bachelor Degree in social work, before entering a premedical program at the Ohio State University.[5] He graduated from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in 1959.[12] He graduated with the highest academic standing in his class.[10] He then completed two years of training at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City, one year in general surgery and the other in neurological surgery.[12] He returned to Washington University and completed his neurosurgery residency at Barnes Hospital under Henry Schwartz in 1964. He remained at Washington University for a one-year National Institutes of Health research fellowship in neuroanatomy, during which time he began to use the surgical microscope in his research work, realizing its potential to advance surgical techniques and the understanding of brain anatomy.[12]

Career

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Rhoton began as a staff neurosurgeon at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in 1966.[13] He joined the University of Florida in 1972 as a Professor of Surgery and the Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery.[13] He began to teach microneurosurgery at the University of Florida in 1975.[5] He became the university's R.D. Keene Family Professor of Neurosurgery in 1981.[13] At the University of Florida, Rhoton Jr. built the world's largest collection of three-dimensional images of the brain, used internationally by neurosurgeons.[4] In 2003, through Neurosurgery,[14] he published the world's best selling neurosurgical textbook, Cranial Anatomy and Surgical Approaches, which serves as a guide for neurosurgeons.[4] In 2014 Rhoton was the director of the Neuro-Microanatomy Lab at the McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Florida.[7]

Research

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Microsurgical techniques

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Specializing in microsurgical neuroanatomy, he developed and introduced a number of microsurgical techniques that improved the safety and effectiveness of neurosurgery.[2]

He is internationally recognized as the "father of microscopic neurosurgery" for his neuroanatomical studies, which provided the anatomic basis for the development of modern neurosurgical techniques and revolutionized surgical approaches to many neurological disorders, including those for acoustic neuromas and skull base tumors.[15][14]

He developed and introduced a number of microsurgical techniques that improved the safety and effectiveness of neurosurgery,[2][5] including the use of the surgical microscope in neurosurgery.[6][7]

He ultimately developed over 200 neurosurgical instruments,[5] include the Rhoton Micro Dissector, used to dissect aneurysms and tumors.[5][9]

He also designed many of the commonly used of microneurosurgical instruments, which bear his name.[16][8] Such tools in use worldwide include the Rhoton Micro Dissectors designed for delicate work in the treatment of brain aneurysms and tumor resection.[9]

Professional activities

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Rhoton served as the President of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the Society of Neurological Surgeons, the North American Skull Base Society, the International Interdisciplinary Congress on Craniofacial and Skull Base Surgery, the Florida Neurosurgical Society, and the International Society for Neurosurgical Technology and Instrument Invention. He served as the honored guest or was elected to honorary membership in more than 20 neurosurgical societies throughout Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America.[12][7][17]

Awards

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Personal life

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He and his wife Joyce[5] had four children, all involved in the field of medicine.[4] His daughter is also a professor in the field of medicine.[5]

Rhoton lived his later years in Gainesville, Florida,[22] and died in Gainesville on February 21, 2016, at the age of 83.[22]

Books

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  • Cranial Anatomy and Surgical Approaches (2003), written by Albert Rhoton Jr.

References

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  1. ^ :Jacksonville medical magnet students get full surgical experience". Jacksonville. By Charlie Patton, Feb 20, 2012
  2. ^ a b c d Samuel H. Greenblatt; T. Forcht Dagi; Mel H. Epstein (1 January 1997). A History of Neurosurgery: In Its Scientific and Professional Contexts. Thieme. pp. 528–. ISBN 978-1-879284-17-3.
  3. ^ a b Albert L. Rhoton, Jr., MD, UFL, April 21, 2012, archived from the original on April 21, 2012{{citation}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  4. ^ a b c d e "Article 404 - Gainesville Sun - Gainesville, FL". Archived from the original on 2014-12-28. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "The cerebral life of Albert Rhoton". medinfo.ufl.edu.
  6. ^ a b David Perlmutter (17 September 2013). Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar--Your Brain's Silent Killers. Little, Brown. pp. 109–. ISBN 978-0-316-23482-5.
  7. ^ a b c d "3D brain maps guide doctors — via iPhone" .Fox News
  8. ^ a b Pascal M. Jabbour (31 March 2013). Neurovascular Surgical Techniques. JP Medical Ltd. pp. 80–. ISBN 978-93-5090-088-8.
  9. ^ a b c A Rhoton, Neurosurgery.org[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ a b c Friedman, William A. (2011). "Albert L. Rhoton, Jr., M.D". World Neurosurgery. 75 (2): 188–191. doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2011.02.014. PMID 21492690.
  11. ^ Kalte, Pamela M.; Nemeh, Katherine H.; Schusterbauer, Noah (2005). American Men & Women of Science: A Biographical Directory of Today's Leaders in Physical, Biological, and Related Sciences. Thomson Gale. ISBN 9780787673987.
  12. ^ a b c d Albert Rhoton Jr. Biography, cns.org, archived from the original on 2016-06-02
  13. ^ a b c Member, societyns.org, archived from the original on 2016-06-11
  14. ^ a b "Florida neurosurgeon Albert Rhoton redefines brain geography in new textbook". ufhealth.org. 11 November 2003.
  15. ^ "The Facial Pain Research Foundation". Archived from the original on 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2012-05-02.[failed verification]
  16. ^ "Dr. Albert Rhoton Jr. penned the best-selling neurosurgery book in the world". Gainesville.com. Archived from the original on 2014-12-28. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  17. ^ Kathleen Roney (27 January 2012). "University of Florida Honors Dr. Albert Rhoton for Neurosurgery Work". beckersspine.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  18. ^ History -, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, archived from the original on 2016-08-02
  19. ^ "Olivecrona Symposium". Archived from the original on 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  20. ^ CNS Remembers Dr. Albert L. Rhoton Jr., Congress of Neurological Surgeons, archived from the original on 2016-08-13
  21. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2016-06-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. ^ a b Megan Wood (25 February 2016). "University of Florida neurosurgeon Dr. Albert Rhoton Jr. dies at 83". beckersspine.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
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