The History of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery in Zurich

• Published in: Neurosurgery open 2022-06, Vol.3 (2)
• Main Authors: Oertel, Markus Florian, Krayenbühl, Niklaus, Baumann, Christian Rainer, Regli, Luca, Stieglitz, Lennart Henning
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2633-0873; 2633-0873
• DOI: 10.1227/neuopn.0000000000000004

Zurich's stereotactic and functional neurosurgery (SFN) has a rich legacy beginning with the studies of the physiologist and Nobel prize winner Walter Rudolf Hess over the efforts of the neurosurgeons Hugo Krayenbühl and Mahmut Gazi Yaşargil up to the work of the functional surgeon Jean Siegfried and the modern era of SFN and neuromodulation. A comprehensive review and synthesis of data acquired from institutional archives and personal interviews as well as from journal articles, included references, proceedings of scientific meetings, staff biographies, and book publications were performed to gain insight into Zurich's long journey toward contemporary SFN and to highlight its stereotactic and functional history with special reference to the development of deep brain stimulation. Zurich's history of medicine includes decisive moments for the fundamentals and development of SFN. After an early period of innovation and research later followed by a long time of clinical application during the 20th century, it became quieter at the turn of the century. Since the end of the 2000s, an impressive renaissance occurred in Zurich that revived its rich SFN tradition.