Functional - 20050200

T the best of current knowledge, the first hemispherectomy (HSPY) was undertaken in 1923 by Dr. Walter Dandy.1 It was reported independently in 1928 by L̓ Hermitte.2 These initial HSPY operations were utilized as a surgical treatment of cerebral gliomas. The initial optimism of potentially curing malignant gliomas led others to use the procedure for these tumors.3-7 Other than perhaps a question of an “apparent” transient reduction in tumor growth, reported by a few authors, the results were disappointing. Not only was the growth of the tumor not controlled, but also the quality of survival, often short, was simply unacceptable. Thus, the use of HSPY for the treatment of gliomas was abandoned. However, the legacy of the experience was the demonstration that patients could survive such a radical procedure. Historical perspectives. Dr. Kenneth McKenzie, in Toronto, in 1938,8 was the first neurosurgeon to use this technique for the control of seizures in infantile hemiplegia. The young girl upon whom he operated became totally seizure free. There was no change in her hemiplegia, but she was reported to be physically and mentally much better. It was Krynauw,9 however, who