Neurosurgical Focus Call for Papers
New submissions should be prepared following the Instructions for Authors and submitted online through our electronic manuscript submission website. Once you have logged in, click “Add a Manuscript,” select the appropriate Neurosurgical Focus issue from the list under “Electronic Journals,” and complete the submission steps as directed.
Please note submission deadlines are firm (midnight E.D.T. on the date listed each month)
March 2019 Acute spinal cord injury
Submission deadline: November 1, 2018
Topic Editors: Sanjay Dhall (lead), Shekar Kurpad, Praveen Mummaneni, John Hurlbert
Acute spinal cord injury is a potentially devastating and life-changing event. The treatment of spinal cord injury has evolved over the past few decades. However, physicians have debated the timing of surgery and have debated the efficacy of perioperative medications to minimize secondary cord injury after the primary traumatic event. This issue of NS Focus is meant to highlight the evolution of the management of spinal cord injury from a diagnostic and therapeutic perspective.
April 2019 Enhanced recovery after surgery in the spine
Submission deadline: December 1, 2018
Topic Editors: Michael Wang (lead), Andrew Dailey, Neil Berrington, Enrico Tessitore
Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs have revolutionized the pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative of many surgical fields. These programs focus on a “fast-track” protocol for reducing the length of stay, patient discomfort, and complications. Incorporation of a multi-disciplinary approach, evidence-based medicine, and an iterative improvement process all characterize successful ERAS programs.
Spinal surgery is well-known for its associated long, painful, and arduous recovery process. Thus, while the field of spinal surgery is ripe for such an evolution, spine ERAS programs are just now emerging. This issue of Neurosurgical Focus will provide information for readers of the worldwide state of affairs in spine ERAS.
May 2019 Lumbar spinal stenosis
Submission deadline: January 1, 2019
Topic Editors: Robert Heary (lead), Paul Anderson, Paul Arnold
Lumbar spinal stenosis is a frequent diagnosis among middle aged and elderly patients. The diagnostic and therapeutic treatment options have evolved over the past 25 years. Newer and better treatments allow for small surgical options to be considered while spinal instrumentation and fusion procedures, if necessary, are able to be performed through increasingly smaller routes which allow for less perioperative morbidity. Increasing recognition of concerns regarding deformity of the lumbar spine, in addition to stenosis, has led to changes in the recommended surgical options which could potentially relieve the stenosis symptoms while addressing the scoliosis issues at the same time. Much has changed to allow for newer and better treatments to deal with lumbar spinal stenosis in 2019.
June 2019 Radiosurgery and radiotherapy for meningiomas: delivery methods, outcomes, and long-term risks
Submission deadline: February 1, 2019
Topic Editors: Michael McDermott (lead), Steve Braunstein, Jason Sheehan, Lee Rogers
For many neurosurgeons the only form of radiation therapy they are familiar with is radiosurgery. This is understandable as neurosurgeons are responsible for many of the technical innovations in modern radiotherapy/radiosurgery, e.g. Gamma Knife (Leksell), CyberKnife (Adler) and IMRT (intensity modulated radiotherapy; Carrol). However as the individuals with a unique responsibility to recommend the safest forms of treatment we should understand all the options for therapeutic radiation therapy for meningiomas of the central nervous system.
In this issue we invite experts to address basic radiobiology for neurosurgeons and the many platforms for treatment delivery. Recent important results that should affect evidence-based treatment will be reviewed. Results from the primary treatment setting and the treatment of residual and recurrent tumors will be addressed.
We hope that our readers will find this issue educational, informative and important for trainees who are learning about the options for treatment for patients with primary and recurrent meningiomas.
Upcoming Issues (no longer accepting submissions)
December 2018 Military neurosurgery
Topic Editors: Randy Bell (lead), Chris Neal, Randy McCafferty
January 2019 Primary and secondary infections of the spine – a comprehensive update
Topic Editors: Doniel Drazin (lead), Jens Chapman, John Street, Andrew Dailey
February 2019 Cerebral revascularization
Topic Editors: Jonathan Russin (lead), Ying Mao, Peter Vajkoczy, Satoshi Kuroda, Amir Dehdashti
