Previous General Surgical            Top

- Mid-Western Health Board Surgical Rotation. 1.1.84 – 30.6.85

This rotation included the following posts:

a) Senior House Officer in General Surgery:Limerick Regional Hospital /Limerick /Eire. 1.1.84-30.6.84

b) Senior House Officer in Orthopedic Surgery: 1.7.84-31.12.84

This period included six weeks as Acting Registrar. Croom Orthopaedic Hospital /Croom, Co. Limerick /Eire

c) Senior House Officer in General Surgery: Ennis General Hospital / Ennis, Co. Clare / Eire. 1.1.85-30.6.85

- Locum Senior House Officer / St. Columcille’s Hospital / Loughlinstown / Co. Dublin / Eire. 20.9.82-17.10.82 & 22.11.82-29.11.82

- General Practitioner /Jabal Al-Hussein/Amman, Jordan. 80-81

- House Officer in Surgery and Medicine / Al-Bashir Hospital / Amman, Jordan. 79-80

For three years and eight months after that Dr. Shunnar worked as a full time Consultant Neurosurgeon at the Sub-Regional neurosurgical unit in Plymouth, England.  During that period he established the Stereotactic service in the unit starting off using the CRW frame for biopsy and /or excision of brain tumours and progressing slowly towards Epilepsy Surgery and Functional Neurosurgery.  The Epilepsy Surgery Program kicked off with lesional epilepsy utilizing the stereotactic techniques together with intra-operative electrocorticography.  In October 1994 he visited Dr Andre Olivier in Montreal, Canada to gain experience about his surgical techniques and selection procedures in epilepsy surgery particularly regarding Amygdalo-hippocampectomy.  On his return from Canada he formed an epilepsy surgery group in Plymouth consisting of Neurologists, Neurophysiologist, Neurophsychologist, a speech therapist and myself.  Dr. Shunnar also became a member of the British Epilepsy Surgery Group.  At the same time he started a Functional Neurosurgery service on a limited scale starting with Thalamotomy for Parkinsonian tremor.  In addition to the above he shared the workload of all other aspects of neurosurgery with his colleagues.  In July 1996 he was selected as the Surgical Tutor representing the Royal College of Surgeons in foreseeing the training and education of pre-fellowship surgical trainees in Plymouth.

In September 1997, Dr. Shunnar moved to Amman, Jordan to work at a charity run hospital,. This hospital has  360 beds and a full complement of neurosurgical service including an MRI scanner, a Spiral CT scanner, 2 DSA suites and a 12 bedded ICU with a well equipped theatre including a Ziess operating microscope, an Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator (Dissectron) and all other standard pieces of equipment.  he also treat patients at other hospitals particularly Ibn-Alhaytham hospital where the Amman Gamma Knife Centre is located.  he received formal training at Karolinska Hospital, Sweden and subsequently became an active member of the Gamma Knife team, which is the only one in the Middle East.

 Interests            Top

1.                  Spinal Surgery: Dr. Shunnar is an experienced and keen spinal surgeon.  he attended several hands on workshops on spinal instrumentation and endoscopic spinal surgery. Although he believe in minimal intervention where possible in spinal surgery, he has used many types of spinal instrumentation for different aspects and conditions.

2.                  Vascular Neurosurgery: he has a wide experience in cerebral aneurysm surgery.  he operated on average of 30 aneurysms a year in Plymouth and he already had a significant experience as a trainee before that.  Where appropriate, he is also keen on cooperating with my Neuro-radiological colleagues with interventional work.

3.                  Stereotactic Neurosurgery including Epilepsy, Functional and Radiosurgery: Over the last twelve years, Dr. Shunnar developed a particular interest in stereotactic surgery including lesional epilepsy surgery and NeuroOncology.  he established the stereotactic service in Plymouth and provided both functional and epilepsy surgery in addition to the standard stereotactic service  This interest extended into stereotactic radiosurgery in Jordan and  in November 1998 he went to Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm where he received formal training on the Leksell Gamma Knife.

  Publications             Top

1. El-Shunnar K, Deasy J, Delaney PV.  Infantile Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis.  Ir Med J.1986;79(5):117-8

2. El-Shunnar K, Whittle IR.  Familial Intracranial Aneurysms: Report of Five Families.  Br J Neurosurg.  1990;4(3):181-6

3.Denholm S, El-Shunnar K, Whittle IR.  What is Optimal management for patients over 60 with supratentorial glioma?  Lessons from an audit.  J.Neurol.Neurosurg.Psychiat.  1990; 53:44 (Abstract).

4.El-Shunnar K.  Personal View: Guillain-barre Syndrome, A Neurosurgical Experience.  Brit.Med.J.1991;302:1473-74

5.Whittle IR. Denholm S.  El-Shunnar K.  CT guided stereotactic neurosurgery using the Brown-Roberts-Wells System: experience with 125 Procedures. Aust N Z J Surg.  1991;61(12):919-28.

6.El-Shunnar K. Should the neurosurgeon wear protective glasses? J.Neurol.Neurosurg. Psychiat.1992;55: (Abstract)

7. O’Sullivan M., El-Shunnar K., Russell T. Surgical Treatment of Barchalgia.  J.Neurol. Neurosurg.Psychiat. 1992;55: (Abstract)

8.El-Shunnar KS, Hamlyn PJ.  Intensive Management and Monitoring Techniques in Severe Brain Injury.  Care. Crit. Ill 1993;9(4):146-49

9.El-Shunnar K. Hamlyn PJ. Medical treatment and Predicting Outcome in Severe Head Injury. Care.Crit.Ill 1993;9(6):210-13

10. El-Shunnar KS.  Intracranial Pressure Monitoring and management of Raised Intracranial Pressure. Neurosurgery 93, A Manual for European Trainees in Neurosurgery, G48-52

11.Bavetta S. El-Shunnar KS. Hamlyn PJ. Neurenteric Cyst of the Anterior Cranial Fossa. Br J Neurosurg. 1996;10(2):225-7

12.El-Shunnar KS. Management of Raised Intracranial Pressure. Neurosurgery 96, Manual of Neurosurgery. Churchill Livingstone, Chapter 113 pp 549-553

13. Mitchell AR, El-Shunnar KS. Infected chronic extradural haematoma. J Accid Emerg Med.  1998;15(6):432-3.

14. Labram EK. el-Shunnar K. Hilton DA. Robertson NJ. Revisited: spinal angiolipoma—three additional cases. Br J Neurosurg. 1999 Feb;13(1):25-9.

15. Harper M. Dashfield AK. El-Shunnar KS. Management of Penetrating Injury to the Petrous Internal Carotid Artery: case report. Br J Neurosurg. 1999 Apr;13(2):193-5.

  Before & After            Top

Brain Tumour Before Surgery

 Brain After Surgery