Angelo Franzini C.V.
 


Dr. Angelo Franzini  was born in Milan , Italy in 1951. Low-tenent in the Italian Airforce after the graduation in medicine in 1976. He was graduated in Neurosurgery  in 1980 at the University of Milan.
Dr. Franzini pioneered Computer-Assisted Stereotactic Neurosurgery and ,with his Mentor Professor Giovanni Broggi , introduced in Italy the techniques for serial stereotactic biopsy of brain tumors and functional neurosurgery. 
In the last ten years Dr.Franzini originally developped  the technique of hypothalamic stimulation for the treatment of refractory cluster headache  and for the treatment of intractable impulsive and aggressive behaviour  .
He also introduced  the first surgical treatment  for  the so called " Thalamic hand syndrome  and fixed dystonia .
Dr. Franzini is internationally known not only as a brain  surgeon but is also considered an expert in the field of peripheral nerve surgery and really He introduced  in 1996 the original surgical technique for the minimally invasive release of carpal tunnel syndrome
Now he works in Milan as chairman of the third Neurosurgical Division of the National Neurological Institute and he is  involved in many research programs dealing with movement disorders  , behaviour disorders , brain tumors , spine surgery  and chronic pain. 
Finally He wrote software dedicated to Deep Brain Stimulation and developped an original digitalized stereotactic atlas which is freely available on the net.
 

Most original articles  (selected out of more than 150 published papers indexed in pubmed) :









NEUROMODULATION



Franzini A, Cordella R, Messina G, Marras CE, Romito LM, Carella F, Albanese
A, Rizzi M, Nardocci N, Zorzi G, Zekay E, Broggi G.
Deep brain stimulation for
movement disorders. Considerations on 276 consecutive patients. J Neural Transm.
2011 May 20.


Franzini A, Messina G, Zekaj E, Romito L, Cordella R.
Improvement of hand
dexterity induced by stimulation of the peduncolopontine nucleus in a patient
with advanced Parkinson's disease and previous long-lasting bilateral subthalamic
DBS.
Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2011 Aug;153(8):1587-90.



Franzini A, Messina G, Marras C, Molteni F, Cordella R, Soliveri P, Broggi G.
Poststroke fixed dystonia of the foot relieved by chronic stimulation of the
posterior limb of the internal capsule.
J Neurosurg. 2009 Jun 5.



Franzini A, Messina G, Leone M, Broggi G.
Occipital nerve stimulation (ONS).Surgical technique and prevention of late electrode migration.
Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2009 May 9.



Franzini A, Messina G, Marras C, Villani F, Cordella R, Broggi G.
Deep brain stimulation of two unconventional targets in refractory non-resectable epilepsy.
Stereotact Funct Neurosurg. 2008;86(6):373-81.



Franzini A, Leone M, Messina G, Cordella R, Marras C, Bussone G, Broggi G.
Neuromodulation in treatment of refractory headaches.
Neurol Sci. 2008 May;29 Suppl 1:S65-8.


Franzini A, Cordella R, Nazzi V, Broggi G.
Long-term chronic stimulation of internal capsule in poststroke pain and spasticity.
Case report, long-term results and review of the literature.
Stereotact Funct Neurosurg. 2008;86(3):179-83. Epub 2008 Mar 12.
Review.


Franzini A, Marras C, Tringali G, Leone M, Ferroli P, Bussone G, Bugiani O, Broggi G.
Chronic high frequency stimulation of the posteromedial hypothalamus in
facial pain syndromes and behaviour disorders.
Acta Neurochir Suppl. 2007;97(Pt 2):399-406.


Franzini A, Marras C, Ferroli P, Bugiani O, Broggi G.
Stimulation of the posterior hypothalamus for medically intractable impulsive and violent behavior.
Stereotact Funct Neurosurg. 2005;83(2-3):63-6.


Franzini A, Marras C, Ferroli P, Zorzi G, Bugiani O, Romito L, Broggi G.
Long-term high-frequency bilateral pallidal stimulation for neuroleptic-induced
tardive dystonia. Report of two cases.
J Neurosurg. 2005 Apr;102(4):721-5.


Franzini A, Ferroli P, Marras C, Broggi G.
Huge epidural hematoma after surgery for spinal cord stimulation.
Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2005 May;147(5):565-7;


Franzini A, Ferroli P, Leone M, Broggi G.
Stimulation of the posterior hypothalamus for treatment of chronic intractable
cluster headaches: first reported series.
Neurosurgery. 2003 May;52(5):1095-9; discussion 1099-101.



Franzini A, Ferroli P, Dones I, Marras C, Broggi G.
Chronic motor cortex stimulation for movement disorders: a promising perspective.
 Neurol Res. 2003 Mar;25(2):123-6.



Franzini A, Ferroli P, Servello D, Broggi G.
Reversal of thalamic hand syndrome by long-term motor cortex stimulation.
J Neurosurg. 2000 Nov;93(5):873-5.


Franzini A, Messina G, Cordella R, Marras C, Broggi G.
Deep brain stimulation  of the posteromedial hypothalamus: indications, long-term results, and
neurophysiological considerations. Neurosurg Focus. 2010 Aug;29(2):E13. Review.



Franzini A, Messina G, Gambini O, Muffatti R, Scarone S, Cordella R, Broggi G.
Deep-brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens in obsessive compulsive disorder:
clinical, surgical and electrophysiological considerations in two consecutive
patients. Neurol Sci. 2010 Jun;31(3):353-9. Epub 2010 Feb 3. PubMed PMID:
20127500.










PERIPHERAL NERVES , CRANIAL NEURALGIAS   AND SPINE



 Franzini A, Broggi G, Servello D, Dones I, Pluchino MG.
Transillumination in minimally invasive surgery for carpal tunnel release. Technical note.
J.Neurosurg. 1996 Dec;85(6):1184-6.


Franzini A, Scaioli V, Leocata F, Palazzini E, Broggi G.
Pain syndrome and focal myokymia due to anterior interosseous neurovascular relationships: report of a case and neurophysiological considerations.
J Neurosurg. 1995 Apr;82(4):578-80.



Franzini A, Messina G, Ferroli P, Broggi G.
Minimally invasive disc preservino surgery in cervical radiculopathies: the posterior microscopic and endoscopic
approach. Acta Neurochir Suppl. 2011;108:197-201.



Franzini A, Ferroli P, Messina G, Broggi G.
 Surgical treatment of cranial neuralgias.
Handb Clin Neurol. 2010;97:679-92.


Franzini A, Messina G, Nazzi V, Mea E, Leone M, Chiapparini L, Broggi G,
Bussone G.
Spontaneous intracranial hypotension syndrome: a novel speculative
physiopathological hypothesis and a novel patch method in a series of 28
consecutive patients.
J Neurosurg. 2010 Feb;112(2):300-6.


Franzini A, Zekaj E, Messina G, Mea E, Broggi G.
Intracranial spontaneous hypotension associated with CSF cervical leakage successfully treated by lumbar epidural blood patch.
Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2010 Nov;152(11):1997-9.












BRAIN TUMORS



Franzini A, Leocata F, Servello D, Cajola L, Allegranza A, Broggi G.
Long-term follow-up of germinoma after stereotactic biopsy and brain
radiotherapy: a cell kinetics study.
J Neurol. 1998 Sep;245(9):593-7.


Franzini A, Leocata F, Cajola L, Servello D, Allegranza A, Broggi G.
Low-grade glial tumors in basal ganglia and thalamus: natural history and
biological reappraisal.
Neurosurgery. 1994 Nov;35(5):817-20;

Franzini A, Leocata F, Giorgi C, Allegranza A, Servello D, Broggi G.
 Role of  stereotactic biopsy in multifocal brain lesions: considerations on 100
consecutive cases.
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1994 Aug;57(8):957-60.

Franzini A, Ferraresi S, Giorgi C, Costa A, Allegranza A, Broggi G.
Cell kinetic investigations in brain tumors studied by serial stereotactic biopsy.
 J.Neurooncol. 1989 Nov;7(4):373-9.


Franzini A, Broggi G, Giorgi C, Caiola L, Allegranza A.
Predictive accuracy of cell kinetics data in glial tumors investigated by serial stereotactic biopsy.
J Neurosurg Sci. 1989 Jan-Mar;33(1):43-5.


 Franzini A, Allegranza A, Melcarne A, Giorgi C, Ferraresi S, Broggi G.
Serial stereotactic biopsy of brain stem expanding lesions. Considerations on 45
consecutive cases.
Acta Neurochir Suppl (Wien). 1988;42:170-6.


Franzini A, Broggi G, Allegranza A, Melcarne A, Ventura L, Costa A.
Cell kinetics of gliomas by serial stereotactic biopsy.
Basic Appl Histochem. 1986;30(2):203-7.










RADIOSURGERY


Franzini A, Marchetti M, Brait L, Milanesi I, Messina G, Forapani E, Broggi G,
Fariselli L.
Deep brain stimulation and frameless stereotactic radiosurgery in
the treatment of bilateral parkinsonian tremor: target selection and case report
of two patients.
Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2011 Feb 20.