Articles

#
Finding the Right Surgeon
From the Ask A Neurosurgeon video series.Answering the question, "How do you find a top flight surgeon in your local area?" Basic tips and hints to hunting down the most qualified surgeons in your location.
#
Spondylolisthesis: Is Surgery Required
Is surgery always required for Spondylolisthesis? A high level discussion from NeuroRounds. Watch this excerpt of one of the teaching sessions.
#
Crispr
Published in LinkedIN in October 2023. Dr. McLaughlin discusses the new gene editing tools..., the technology, the ethics, and the future.
#
Moderate Stenosis Conservative Care
Conservative Management and Treatment of Spinal Stenosis: Surgery is not always the answer. Always consider conservative treatment options.
#
Top Doctor 2024
Year after Year after Year. For more than 10 years Dr. McLaughlin has been recognized by Castle Connolly as one of the regions Top Doctors
#
Assess The Patient
6 Simple Steps to assessing ANY patient. Perfect for medical professionals trying to upgrade their skills and perfect for patients wondering what to expect. Real Patients and Real Cases
#
Rutgers Wrestler Faced Paralysis
Rutgers wrestler and assistant coach faced potential paralysis. He found a kindred spirit in previous NCAA Div I wrestler and practicing neurosurgeon Mark McLaughlin, MD
#
Drains and Brains
The secret story of drains in brain surgery. Learning medicine in the 21st Century. NeuroRounds is the place where the medical leaders of tomorrow interact LIVE with top experts.
#
Peter Jannetta Patient
I had the great privilege of training with Dr. Peter Jannetta, the innovator behind the Jannetta technique of Microvascular Decompression. I recently had the honor of treating one of his patients.
#
Multiple Meningiomas
Multiple Meningiomas Case Discussion with leading spine experts. Just a small taste of what happens LIVE in NeuroRounds on the first Tuesday of every month. Watch now!
#
We Have No Time
Sometimes it's urgent and extreme team building that makes the difference in a patient's care. What happens when an ER patient needed life-saving surgery 10 minutes ago?
#
Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy
NeuroRounds: Drs. McLaughlin and Elkrief discuss surgical treatment options for a patient diagnosed with Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy. A Med Student describes the pre-operative imaging.
#
All About Brain Bleeds
All About Brain Bleeds - Imaging and Discussion with Mark McLaughlin, MD NeuroRounds Jan 3 2023. 4 and a half minutes of DENSE learning. Learn more about #NeuroRounds.
#
Medical Burnout - A National Crisis
Medical burnout video taken from the August session of NeuroRounds, the number one online venue for medstudents, pre-med, and healthcare professionals seeking to raise the bar of their skill level.
#
Day In The Life : Daybreak
Join practicing neurosurgeon Dr. Mark McLaughlin on the way to the hospital. It's the dawn of a neurosurgeon's day. Learn the thoughts and the process.
#
Day In The Life Episode 2
Mental preparation, Med Student Teaching Rounds, Patient preparation. There's to surgical prep than hand hygiene. Join Dr. Mark McLaughlin for this glimpse into a neurosurgeon's day.
#
Back to School, 30 Years Later
I recently attended the 30th reunion for my medical school class at Virginia Commonwealth University. The trip included great memories and some reflections on the future of medicine.
#
Day In The Life Episode 1
A Neurosurgeon's Day... from early morning start, through a long day of surgery, teaching, and patient care, to making a contribution to the lives of others on a daily basis.
#
Mercer-Presentation-May19
Living Your Limitless Life: A Brain Surgeon's Approach to Longevity - May 19th at Noon : Mercer County Surgery Center
#
Your Best Life - Spine, Brain, and Mind Health
A powerful presentation at the CentraState Healthcare Foundation Workshop in the spring of 2016. Living a full and rich life. Actionable intelligence from Dr. Mark McLaughlin.
#
20 Years a Neurosurgeon
On this twentieth anniversary of my graduation from the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurosurgery Residency program. What have I learned? What will I do differently in the years ahead?
#
Dorothy Klenke Nash, M.D. : Pioneer Woman and Neurosurgeon
Today, women neurosurgeons remain a rare species; they represent only about 5% of the total in the United States. But at the time Dr. Nash became one, they were even scarcer; there weren’t any at all! She was the very first neurosurgeon of her gender in the U.S.
#
Another Day In the Frontal Lobe: Book Review
Firlik covers the entire territory of being a neurosurgeon, the highest of highs and lowest of lows. The need for a surgeon to be a ray of hope, as well as the relater of harsh truth. Dealing with surgeons with big egos. Recognizing when a seemingly straightforward condition may indicate a potentially fatal brain infection.
#
Surfs Up: Trigeminal Neuralgia Surgery Makes the Difference
Ken was living the life most 70 year olds dream of until the pain struck. He was surfing the summer waves of Hawaii and skiing the winter slopes of Vail. He was getting everything he could out of retirement…until the day his life turned upside down. He began experiencing an intermittent stabbing, shock-like pain searing into his right cheek.
#
Health Crisis On a Plane
A while back, my wife and I were on a transatlantic flight when a passenger fell into a coma. As a doctor, I rushed to her side. I soon learned she was diabetic and had overdosed on insulin. I’m a neurosurgeon and her situation was outside my specialty, but it was a pretty basic medical emergency: get glucose into her system STAT.
#
Speechless
Liver surgeon Simon Bramhall marked his initials on patients during surgery. I'm at a loss for words.
#
Death is Certain - Eventually
Who was Brittany Maynard? I was invited to contribute an article to LinkedIn discussing the question of "assisted death". She was a young California woman who was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor in 2014.
#
Time, Carla, and Peak Performance
This presentation was made at the Hunterdon Healthcare Foundation Annual Lecture and tells the story of meeting Carla..., a young girl with a life ahead of her..., if she could only survive the next few minutes. Life is measured by momemts.
#
Jannetta Symposium
Dr. Mark R. McLaughlin delivered opening remarks on the occasion of the Inaugural Peter Jannetta Symposium. A video created by the University of Pittsburg.
#
From Do No Harm to Do Harm: A Neurosurgeon’s Path to Madness?
Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, was sentenced to life in prison for what headlines described as “botched’ surgery. I'm saddened to learn that patients suffered injury at the hands of a doctor they had trusted to help them, and by the pain and suffering of his patients, their families and friends.
#
The Passing of Doctor Peter Jannetta
The first gift Dr. Jannetta ever gave me was a Snickers bar. It was on the first day I met him during my interview. I thought to myself. Hmmmm, is this some kind of examination technique or ploy? Was it some obscure test of my suitability?
#
RIP Dr. John Jane - On The Passing of a Giant
The neurosurgical world lost a giant this last September in the passing of Dr. John Jane, Chairman of Neurosurgery at The University of Virginia. I interfaced with him on many occasions as a medical student, as a resident, and as a colleague.
#
Peter Jannetta Tribute
A tribute to Dr. McLaughlin's teacher, mentor, and friend Peter Jannetta, MD. This tribute was prepared in 2010 and discusses Dr. Jannetta's achievements. With commentary from a number of leading neurosurgeons.
#
Parallels in Precision Workshop with West Point Military Academy
Video of the Parallels in Precision Workshop with the psychology class at West Point
#
Laser Surgery Update
Here's an article about laser spine surgery from Bloomberg that a fellow surgeon sent me. It's worth the read.
#
The Laser Myth
There are many claims made by proponents of laser spinal surgery. At the heart of these arguments is that the laser scalpel is better than other surgical options because it is more technically advanced and minimally invasive. Let's test that myth. Here are the facts.