Laligam N. Sekhar, M.D.

William Joseph Leedom and Bennett Bigelow & Leedom Professor,
Vice Chairman - UW Neurological Surgery,
Director, Cerebrovascular Surgery,
Co-Director, Skull Base Surgery

Dr. Sekhar joined our department in January, 2005, and serves as vice chairman and professor, specializing in cerebrovascular surgery and skull base surgery.

An accomplished academician, researcher, and surgeon, Dr. Sekhar has published more than 200 peer-review papers, 100 book chapters and four books. His state-of-the-art work has taken the field of neurosurgery into new territory. He holds a patent for an aneurysm detecting device, and has pioneered numerous brain surgery techniques. For example, he says, "Heart bypasses are very familiar, but high flow bypasses for the brain are not very widely used or developed. This is one of the things I have helped refine, for both tumors and aneurysms." Dr. Sekhar has found new surgical options for some of the toughest situations. For example, Dr. Sekhar has developed new operations to treat complex tumors and aneurysms of the brain. He, along with colleagues, created the field of cranial base surgery for tumors and other pathologies. He is currently honored by his colleagues as the president-elect of the World Federation of Skull Base Societies.

Dr. Sekhar received his degrees in biology from the Loyola College (1967) and Vivekanada College (1968) of Madras University in India, and obtained his M.B.B.S. in Medicine from Madras University (Madras, India) in December, 1973. He then came to the United States to pursue training in neurology and neurosurgery, where he trained at Cook County Hospital (Chicago, IL), the University of Cincinnati (OH) and then at University of Pittsburgh (PA).

After completion of his neurosurgery residency in 1982, he was appointed as Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, and became board certified in 1986.  He obtained professor status there in 1992. In 1993 he became chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery and Executive Director of the George Washington Neurological Institute in Washington, DC at George Washington University. He was appointed as Clinical Professor there in 1999, and opened a private practice as well.  After an 18-month stay at North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System in Manhasset, NY, as professor and vice chairman, Dr. Sekhar accepted a position at the University of Washington in Seattle to begin in January, 2005.

Dr. Sekhar has given countless lectures worldwide, focused in the areas of Skull Base Surgery and Cerebral Aneurysms. He has over 400 publications in journals and book chapters, and has authored 4 books.  He is currently on the editorial board of five scientific publications, including Neurosurgery, Skull Base Surgery, and Head and Neck Surgery.

Patient Care
Widely regarded as one of the top neurosurgeons in the world, Dr. Sekhar specializes in the treatment of complex neurosurgical disorders at Harborview Medical Center, particularly:

• Cerebrovascular Disorders - aneurysms, arterovenous malformations
  
• Cerebral Revascularization - for intractable ischemia
  
• Skull Based Tumors -acoustic neuromas, meningiomas, chordomas
  
• Complex Brain Tumors - deep seated or difficult
  
• Microvascular Compression Disorders - trigeminal neuralgia, hemifacial spasm, disabling vertigo
  Craniocervical Junction and Cervical Problems

Research
His current research interests are:

• Genetics of Skull Base Tumors and Aneurysm Patients
• Neural Regeneration:
• Application in Stroke and Brain Stem
• Optic Nerve Injuries
• Technological Innovations in Neurosurgery
• Spirituality and Healing in Neurosurgical Patients

Selected Publications
Gay E, Sekhar LN, Rubinstein E, Wright DC, Sen C, Janecka IP, Snyderman CH: Chordomas and chondrosarcomas of the cranial base: Results and follow-up of 60 patients. Neurosurgery 36:887-897, 1995. PubMed abstract

Sekhar LN, Chandler JP, Alyono, MD: Saphenous vein graft reconstruction of an unclippable giant basilar aneurysm performed with the patient under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest: Technical case report. Neurosurgery 42 (3): 667-673, 1998. PubMed abstract

Ziyal IM, Sekhar LN, Salas E, Sen C: Surgical management of cavernous malformations of the brain stem, British Journal of Neurosurgery 13(4): 366-375, 1999. PubMed abstract

Sekhar LN, Schessel DA, Bucur SD, Raso JL, Wright DC: Partial labyrinthectomy petrous apicectomy approach to neoplastic and vascular lesions of the petroclival. Neurosurgery 44(3): 537-552, 1999. PubMed abstract

Salas E, Sekhar LN, Ziyal I, Wright D: Variations of the extreme lateral approach: Anatomical study and clinical analysis of 69 patients, J. Neurosurg 90(4 Suppl): 1999. PubMed abstract

Roberti F, Sekhar LN, Kalavakonda C, Wright DC: Posterior Fossa Meningiomas: Experience with 161 Surgical Cases. Surgical Neurology 2001, 56: 8-21. PubMed abstract

Sekhar LN, Sarma S, Schessel D. Non-vestibular Schwannomas of Brain – A 7 year Experience. Neurosurgery, 50: 437 – 449, March 2002.

Akagami R, Napolitano M, Sekhar LN. Patient evaluated outcome after surgery for basal meningioma. Neurosurgery, 50: 941 – 949, May 2002. PubMed abstract

Kalavakonda, C,; Sekhar, L. N., Pranatartiharan R., ; Hechl, P, Endoscope Assisted Microsurgery for Intracranial Aneurysms, Neurosurgery, 51: 1119, 2002. PubMed abstract

Rak R, Sekhar L.N.; Stimac D.,; Hechl P, Endoscope-assisted Microsurgery for Microvascular Compression Syndromes. Neurosurgery, 54: 876 - 883, 2004. PubMed abstract

Evans JJ, Sekhar LN, Rak R, Stimac D: Bypass Grafting and Revascularization in the Management of Posterior Circulation Aneurysms. Neurosurgery, 55:1036-1049, 2004. PubMed abstract

Selected Books
Sekhar LN, Janecka IP (Eds): Surgery of Cranial Base Tumors. Raven Press, NY, 1993.

Sekhar LN, Oliviera E: Cranial Microsurgical Techniques and Approaches. Thieme Medical Publishers, April 1998.