Dr. Michel Van Vyve Belgium

Secondary Education:

Literae humaniores (certificate granting admission to higher education 1965)

University Education:

First year of Candidature degree in Medicine (1 July 1966) at Facultés Notre-Dame de la Paix in Namur

Special certificate for Higher Education in Mathematics (1 July 1966)

Second year of Candidature degree in Medicine (15 July 1967) at Facultes Notre-Dame de la Paix in Namur special certificate for Statistics

Third year of Candidature degree (1 July 1968) at Facultés Notre-Dame
de la Paix in Namur
First year of doctorate in medicine cum laude (8 July 1969) at Catholic University
of Leuven (KUL)

Second year of doctorate in medicine cum laude (3 July 1970) at KUL

Third year of doctorate in medicine cum laude (9 July 1971) at KUL

Fourth year of doctorate in medicine cum laude (1 July 1972) at KUL

Training in neurosurgery:

Training was divided up as follows, based on the accreditation criteria employed at the time:

First year: general surgery in Antwerp Hospitals under the supervision of Dr Ceulemans, general surgeon

Second year: general neurology, Dr Roussel and Dr De Haene’s group at St. Jan
Ziekenhuis, a hospital in Bruges

Third year: neurosurgery, Professor Selosse’s group at Bunge Institute in Antwerp

Fourth and fifth years: Neurosurgery Department, Guy de Chaulliac site of Centre
Hospitalier de Montpellier [Montpellier University Hospital] in Montpellier, France
This traineeship in France was extended for another eight months as acting ‘Chef
de Clinique’ [Senior Registrar] to acquire special competence in paediatric
neurosurgery (Professor P. Frèrebeau).

Professional activities as a neurosurgeon:

Neurosurgeon: acting head of department, Centre Hospitalier Clarac [Clarac
Hospital], Fort de France, Martinique (French Antilles), where I was given the task
of developing the first neurosurgery department in the Lesser Antilles (October
1977 to 1 January 1979).

From October 1978 I was also given responsibility for setting up a neurosurgery
department at Centre Hospitalier des Abymes [Abymes University Hospital] in
Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. I combined this with my activities in Martinique and
afterwards continued this work until June 1979.

Resident neurosurgeon at the neurosurgery department of Academisch Ziekenhuis
Antwerpen [Academic Hospital Antwerp] from 1 August 1979.

In addition, from 1 June 1983 (02/11) I worked as a neurosurgeon at Maria
Middelares Ziekenhuis, a hospital in Sint-Niklaas (with the special permission of
the university institution).

March 1984: appointed assistant head of the neurosurgery department of
Academisch Ziekenhuis Antwerpen, now Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen
[University Hospital Antwerp] (UZA).

Monitor at Universitaire Instelling Antwerpen [University Institution Antwerp]
(UIA).

Member of the Belgian neurosurgery accreditation commission (Dutch-speaking
section), December 1983.

Member of Société de Neurochirurgie de langue française [French-Speaking
Neurosurgical Society], 1979.

Academic activities:
Centre Hospitalier de Montpellier: Professor Jean’s group at the St. Charles site.
From 1 June 1975 to 1 October 1977: Groupe d’étude de neurologie et
neurochirurgie infantile [Infant neurology and neurosurgery study group].

International Society for Neurosurgery, annual congress in Wurzburg, Germany,
25-26 September 1976. ‘Percutaneous ventriculo-cysternostomy in aqueduct
stenosis using Fogarty balloons’ (Frèrebeau & Van Vyve).

European Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, Fifth Congress in Stresa, Italy,
30 September to 2 October 1976. ‘Cerebrospinal fluid derivation in children with
tumoral hydrocephalus, a neuroradiological study’ (Frèrebeau & Van Vyve).


Le traitement neurochirurgical de la craniosténose. Symposium of paediatrics
department of Centre Hospitalier La Timone [La Timone University Hospital],
14 May 1977. ‘Présentation de notre expérience du traitement de
l’acrobrachycéphalie par avancée du massif facial d’après 14 cas’ (Van Vyve &
Frèrebeau).

First Surgical Congress of the Caribbean countries. Pointe-à-Pitre, 15-18 May 1977.
a) les fractures du rachis cervical spécifiques aux Antilles et leur traitement,
a propos de 100 cas (Bazin, Van Vyve & Rivierez).
b) les traumas crâniens et les possibilités thérapeutiques aux Antilles (Van Vyve & Bazin).

International Society of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Marseille, France, 22-25 June.
Resultats du traitement de l`hydrocephalie chez les prematures (Guillem, Van Vyve & Frerebeau).

Interuniversitair Seminarie voor Neurochirurgie [Interuniversity Seminar on Neurosurgery] 1982, Antwerp, Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen.
Interuniversitair Seminarie voor Neurochirurgie 1983, 7 April, Antwerp, Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen. ‘Cerebrale arterioveneuze misvormingen’ (Van Vyve & Selosse).

Italian, Dutch and Belgian Neurosurgical Societies’ Joint Meeting, Antwerp, Belgium, 27-29 May. ‘Unusual aspects of pineal region tumours’ (Van Vyve &Sélosse).

Comateuze patiënt [Comatose patient], Mechelen 22 May 1981 (symposium).
‘Coma bij kinderen’ (Van Vyve).

Neuropathology symposium of Universitaire Instelling Antwerpen (Belgische
Vereniging voor neuropathologie [Belgian Neuropathology Association]), April
1982. ‘A case of pineal tumour’ (Solheid & Van Vyve).

Symposium of Belgische Vereniging voor Fysische Geneeskunde [Belgian Physical
Medicine Association], 12 June 1982. ‘Lumbale kanaalstenose, kliniek en therapie’
(Van Vyve).

Bonn 28-29 January 1982, Symposium of Institut für Neuropathologie. ‘Normal
pressure hydrocephalies in patient with cauda aquina tumour’ (De La Porte, Roosen & Van Vyve).

Symposium van Pediatrie [Paediatrics Symposium], Universitaire Instelling
Antwerpen, 6-7 April 1985. ‘Heelkundige behandeling van craniofaciale dysmorfieën (craniostenose)’ (Van Vyve).

European Neurosurgical Meeting, EANS, Marseille, February 1985. Round-table
discussion about ‘Intraventricular mass lesions and advances in imaging’ (Van
Vyve, Roosen & De La Porte).

Interuniversitair seminarie over neurochirurgie [Interuniversity Seminar on
Neurosurgery], 7 April 1984. ‘Ervaring met de behandeling van aneurysma van
het vertebrobasilair systeem’ (Van Vyve & Selosse).

Jornadas Internacionales de Cirugia de la mano y microcirurgia, Sitges, 30-31 May
1985, Aspects microchirurgicaux du traitement des aneurysmes du systeme vertebrobasilaire’ (Van Vyve & Selosse).

Multicenter study of high doses of methylprednisolone in preoperative treatment of malignant tumors of the central nervous system’ (Upjohn Company double blind study), January 1984 to February 1985.

Optimisation of a compact laminar-flow system in conjunction with ACEC and ENI.
From October 1983 to February 1985 (device on the market since May 1985).

Stereotactic radiosurgery of vestibular schwannoma with a linear accelerator’ (F.
Martens, M. Van Vyve, L. Verbeke & M. Piessens). Acta Neurochirurgie 1994.

Het neuronavigatiesysteem: een nieuwe technologische aanwinst in de Neurochirurgie’ (F. Martens & M. Van Vyve). Tijdschrift voor geneeskunde 53 (1601-1607) 1997.

Symposium Neurochirurgie [Neurosurgery Symposium], ‘Actualiteiten in de
intracraniële chirurgie’ (M. Van Vyve, F. Martens & E. Van de Kelft), 23 January
1999, De Montil Essene.

Symposium Neurochirurgie, ‘De actuele behandeling van Lumbale Discushernia’
(M. Van Vyve, F. Martens & E. Van de Kelft), 19 February 2000, De Montil Essene.


3 Wintersymposium Neurochirurgie [Third Neurosurgery Winter Symposium] (M.
Van Vyve, F. Martens & E. Van de Kelft), 27 January 2001, De Montil Essene.

Symposium Neurochirurgie ‘Het gebruik van implantaten in de Neurochirurgie’ (M.
Van Vyve, F. Martens, E. Van de Kelft & M. Wissels), 25 January 2003, De Montil
Essene.


5 Wintersymposium Neurochirurgie [Fifth Neurosurgery Winter Symposium]
‘15 jaar stereotactische bestralingen in België’ (M. Van Vyve & F. Martens),
4 February 2006, De Montil Essene.

Publications:
Ars Medici 12/1973 ‘Historische gegevens over rectocolon aandoeningen’
(M. Van Vyve).

Neurochirurgie 1977, 23 no. 5, 389-400. ‘Le canal lombaire étroit arthrosique’
(Frèrebeau, Privat, Benezech, Van Vyve & Gomis).

‘Resultats à long terme des interventions stereotaxiques pour dystonie et
dyskinesie chez l’enfant’ (Frèrebeau, Gros, Benezech & Van Vyve). Actualites en
reeducation fonctionnelle et readaptation (Masson 1978).

‘Cerebrospinal fluid derivation in posterior cranial fossa tumours with hydrocephalies’ (Frerebeau, Van Vyve & Castan). Modern problems in pediatrics, vol. 18 pp. 43-56 (Karger, Basel 1977).

‘Lumbale kanaalstenose’ (Van Vyve). Journal Belge de Médecine Physique n° 3-4,
1982.

‘Familial oligodendroglioma’ (Roosen, Van Vyve & Selosse). Journal of Neurosurgery, April 1984 (848).

‘Intrasacral meningeal cyst demonstrated by sacral epidurography’ (N. Roosen,
M. Van Vyve & J. De Moor). Neuroradiologie 1985, 27:123-124.

‘Pneumocephalus as a late complication of overdrainage in shunted tumoral
hydrocephalus’ (Case report: M. Van Vyve M.D., Ch. De La Porte M.D. &
P. Selosse M.D.).

International Congress on Pediatric Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, 20 September 1983, ‘Anaesthetic and surgical implications of craniofacial dysmorphy’ (M. Vercauteren, G. Hanegreefs & M. Van Vyve).

‘Craniostenosis: The importance of the anesthesiology’ (M. Vercauteren, M. Van Vyve, L. Janssens, P. Selosse & G. Hanegreefs). Acta Anaesthesiologica Belgica 1985, vol. 35:3, 168-175

‘Sacral meningeal cyst surgery in the Treatment of chronic perineal pain’
(M. Van Vyve & E. Van de Kelft). British Journal of Surgery, S87, 1992.

‘Sacral meningeal cysts and perineal pain’ (M. Van Vyve & E. Van de Kelft). Lancet
(341) 500-501, 1993.

‘Diagnostic Imaging Algorithm for cervical soft disc herniation’ (E. Van de Kelft,
M. Van Vyve & J. Verlooy). AANS Annual Meeting 1994, Abstract PP 1994.

Establishment of the neurosurgery department of Universitair Ziekenhuis
Antwerpen in 1980: I worked there as the first qualified full-time neurosurgeon.
The department was later led by Professor Selosse and over five years grew into
one of the most important departments of its kind in Belgium, with 60 beds.
Almost 1,000 operations were performed there.
My main specialisations were in paediatric neurosurgery, operations on tumours,
treatment of hydrocephalus in children and in particular treatment of craniofacial
dysmorphies and craniostenosis, dysmorphies involving the complete
reconstruction of the cranium and face: techniques that were optimised by for
example the Montpellier schools (Prof. Frèrebeau and Prof. Sauris), where I was
the first assistant ‘chef de clinique’.

Alongside paedriatric neurosurgery, I focused especially on treatments for vascular brain malformations, pituitary gland deviations, percutaneous techniques
for treating facial pain and cordotomies.

In that period I took a training course with Professor Cloward, who is world famous for anterior approaches to cervical spinal techniques which were applied for the first time in Belgium at the neurosurgery department of Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen.

During the period when this department was being developed, I made particular efforts to complement the training of neurosurgery and intensive care nurses.

I was then appointed assistant head of the neurosurgery department. From 1987, when Professor Selosse fell ill, I was given the task of heading up the department, training students and trainees, giving clinical lessons in neurosurgery and also continuing the training of four neurosurgery assistants who were for the most part trained by me.

In 1990, I was approached by the management of the hospital OLV-Ziekenhuis and Dr Cuvelier with a view to starting a new neurosurgery department. I accepted their offer because after ten years of a university career I was disappointed that the clinical work in academic hospitals was still undervalued and many university doctors were spending more time on building up their CV than treating their patients.

Six months later I joined forces in OLV-Ziekenhuis with Dr Frederic Martens and in a short time a fully fledged neurosurgery department was built up with very high-level technical equipment and skilled and well trained neurosurgical nursing and paramedic staff.

In 1991, the first unit for stereotactic radiosurgery in the Benelux was launched and our department remains a benchmark for this treatment.

In 1995 - in another first for the Benelux - a neuronavigation system was commissioned in OLV-Ziekenhuis. It was used there routinely for a number of years before it became the general system.
Patients from all over Belgium and neighbouring countries and further afield come to the neurosurgery department to be treated for brain and spinal conditions. The annual level of activity continues to grow.