Early Conquest of the Rock: Julius Lempert's Life and the Complete Apicectomy Technique for the Treatment of Suppurative Petrous Apicitis

Abstract

Julius Lempert (1891–1968) was one of the most revolutionary and innovative neuro-otologists of the 20th century. He had a remarkable role in advancing the field of otolaryngology to its modern shape and form, especially through his groundbreaking introduction of the fenestration procedure for the treatment of otosclerosis. Although he is highly celebrated by many neuro-otologists for his contributions to our surgical and anatomical understanding of the petrous bone, he is not well known to the neurosurgical community. In this article, we give a detailed account of Dr. Lempert's life and discuss his invaluable contribution to skull base petrous bone anatomy and surgery through his pioneering work on the complete apicectomy for the treatment of suppurative petrous apicitis.

Keywords

petrous apex - apicectomy - internal carotid artery - mastoidectomy - suppurative apicitis - skull base

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