THE NEUROSURGERY SERVICE OF THE SANTA CASA OF SANTOS (abstract)

Founded in 1543, the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Santos (Holy House of the Mercy of Santos) is the oldest hospital in Brazil, and the oldest of the Santas Casas da Misericórdia in the country. Antonio Ablas Filho, obstetrician and general surgeon, became the first neurosurgeon and chief of the Section of Neurosurgery of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Santos on July 19, 1952. Following his death in 1960, he was suceeded by Giles Henri Duchene. In 1961 Luís La Scala Junior, having been elected mayor of Santos, could not take over the post because of an automobile accident with serious head injury. He was admitted to this Hospital, whose president was his own father. Following the commotion caused by the accident and his death, a neurosurgical semi-intensive unit was established under the name of Torres Homem Room, honoring a XIX century physician from Rio de Janeiro. Following Duchene, the section of Neurosurgery was headed by João A. Stamato Filho, Mirto N. Prandini and Clesio Costa de Almeida for short periods of time .

On February 16, 1977, the section of Neurosurgery, the Neurology Clinic and the EEG sector were joined into the Neurology and Neurosurgery Service, being headed by Henrique S. Ivamoto, who had concluded his residency in the United States and started microneurosurgical interventions in this hospital, including superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery anastomosis, cranial nerve anastomosis, peripheral nerve and brachial plexus reconstructions. In 1977, his former chief, Raymond Peardon Donaghy, visiting professor from the University of Vermont, lectured at the Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Santos. On December 13, 1989, the Service was divided into its clinical and surgical branches, H. S. Ivamoto being elected chief of the Neurosurgery Service until 2002, being replaced by Pedro O. Nassif until March of 2006, when he returned to the post.  Ivamoto was a review editor for the Journal of Microsurgery, published in Boston and New York and is the chief editor for the Acta Medica Misericordiæ, the world journal for the Santas Casas da Misericórdia.

In January 2010, Dr. Rosilene Morales became the chief of Service. She is the first woman to occupy the post of chief of a Neurosurgery Service with approved residency in Brazil.   

Among the current assistant neurosurgeons, trained in this hospital, Pedro O. Nassif, with additional trainings at the University of Paris and Marseilles, who has a large experience on spinal operations. Rafael C. D'Ambrosio, with experience in the administration of medical cooperative. Rosilene Morales, a defensor of the women physicians' rights and very dedicated to her patients, who inspired the article "Women physicians, paternal mothers, anonymous heroines". Douglas S. Minotelli, chief of the Service’s ICU. Marcos Magario, interested in cerebrovascular surgery and chief of the Hospital of the Portuguese Beneficency of Santos. André Luís D. Costa, responsible for stereotaxis and pain surgeries. Rubens F. Garrido Silva, dedicated to general Neurosurgery. Marcelo da Mota Zanatelli, with additional training in Spain, with a special interest in spinal surgery. Jorge Miguel Israel Brumatti and Filipe Mota Zanatelli dedicated to general Neurosurgery.

The last trainees who completed their training in Neurosurgery in this hospital after 1981, are Drs. Dionísio da Silva Vilaça, Geraldo de Oliveira Cunha, Rosilene Morales, Douglas S. Minotelli, Ana Francisca dos Santos Galvão, Rubens f. Garrido Silva, André Luís D. Costa, Marcelo da Mota Zanatelli, Eduardo Oréfice Ferreira, Denise de Oliveira, José Augusto Mota Camanducaia, Imero Silva Couto, Edson José de Castro, Hamilton Robert Zinatti Jr., Noraldino Pinto Barbosa, Adolfo Teixeira, Antonio Carlos Vieira, João Fernando C. G. Nascimento, Patrícia H. G. Pires, Leandro Shinkawa, Alberto L. S. Andrade, José Eduardo G. Guilherme, Douglas Pereira Quintas, Marcos Antonio M. Santos Jr, Leonardo Lo Duca, Luciano Mallmann Durgante and Felipe Gustavo Vilar Silva, Jorge Miguel Israel Brumatti, Mateus Reghin Neto, Filipe Mota Zanatelli, Alexandro Roberto Galassi, Carlos Peres, Rodrigo Volpe Pinhabel, and Bruno Ribeiro Cannizzarobesides.

The Service initiated the First Continuing Education Course on Neurosciences in June of 2006.

The Neurosurgery Service is one of the busiest in the Hospital, receiving patients from the region and from other parts of the country. Around 300 new in-patients are admitted monthly.