El Instituto de Neurocirugía e Investigaciones Cerebrales de Santiago de Chile y la primera neurocirujana en Latinoamérica / The Institute of Neurosurgery and Cerebral Research in Santiago de Chile and the first neurosurgeon woman in Latinamerica

La mexicana María Cristina García-Sancho de Penichet (1919- ) fue la primera neurocirujana en América Latina. Estudió medicina en una época en que la inserción de la mujer en esta disciplina todavía era baja y se decidió por una especialidad, inclusive difícil para los mismos hombres; la neurocirugía. Se preparó en este campo con uno de los grandes neurocirujanos de la época, Alfonso Asenjo Gómez (1906-1980) y en uno de los mejores lugares del mundo, el Instituto de Neurocirugía e Investigaciones Cerebrales en Santiago de Chile. Su aportación a la neurocirugía fue haber modificado el proceso quirúrgico de la cordotomía, operación para controlar el dolor y que tradicionalmente se hacía en dos tiempos. La doctora García-Sancho propuso realizarla en un solo paso.

María Cristina García-Sancho de Penichet (1919- ), a Mexican, was the first woman neurosurgeon in Latin America. She studied medicine at a time when women’s participation in medicine was limited, yet she chose specialization that was considered difficult even for men: neurosurgery. She trained in this discipline with one of the great neurosurgeons of the time, the Chilean Alfonso Asenjo Gómez (1906-1918), and at one of the most prestigious establishments in the world: the Institute of Neurosurgery and Cerebral Research in Santiago de Chile. Her main contribution to the field of neurology consisted in modifying the surgical procedure called cordotomy, an operation for pain control that traditionally required a two-step procedure, but which Dr. García-Sancho showed could be performed in just one step.

Application of spinal ablative techniques for the treatment of benign chronic painful conditions: history, methods, and outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN: The literature on current neuroablative techniques for treating benign chronic painful conditions is comprehensively reviewed. OBJECTIVE: To provide the reader with an understanding of the indications, techniques, and outcomes for the various ablative procedures used to treat chronic pain syndromes. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Neuromodulatory techniques are rapidly supplanting the traditional neuroablative procedures used to treat many types of pain. METHODS: A MEDLINE search was conducted for each of the following procedures: radiofrequency facet denervation, cordotomy, myelotomy, sympathectomy, DREZotomy, rhizotomy, and ganglionectomy. In the review of each article, special attention given to the outcome, length of follow-up, complications, and number of patients. Summaries of this data were compiled to provided historical perspective, current techniques, indications, and outcomes for each of the aforementioned procedures. The outcomes cited for each procedure generally represent the data from the three or four largest series with adequate follow-up length. RESULTS: The aforementioned procedures have 30% to 90% success rates, with success defined as at least a 50% reduction in perceived pain. These results tend to diminish with time. However, most are associated with a significant degree of morbidity and relatively high complication rates. In addition, many of the techniques lead to deafferentation pain syndromes. CONCLUSIONS: Ablative spinal techniques offer pain relief for many patients, but the use of these methods should be considered carefully in the light of available nondestructive procedures that may achieve similar goals with potentially lower morbidities.