Spetzler specialized in cerebrovascular disease and skull basetumors. Extremely prolific, he has published more than 580 articles and 180 book chapters and has co-edited multiple neurosurgical textbooks, including The Color Atlas of Microneurosurgery (2000). He retired from surgery in July 2019.
Spetzler was born in Stierhöfstetten (Oberscheinfeld, near Würzburg) in Germany to where his parents had been evacuated due to the Second World War. When he was 11, he moved with his parents to the United States. He performed spectacularly in the American school system, despite the fact his first language was German.[citation needed]
Spetzler played a dominant role in the use of the standstill operation in treating large or dangerous cerebral aneurysms.[4] One notable application of this method occurred in 1991 when Spetzler successfully removed a large aneurysm in a 35-year-old American woman named Pam Reynolds. Prior to the operation proceeding, Reynolds was placed under general anesthesia, then had her eyes taped shut and a monitoring device placed in both of her ears. She was later induced into clinical death by Spetzler and his team, which was necessary for the operation to take place. Despite being clinically dead and under intense monitoring and medical observation whilst the procedure was ongoing, Reynolds claimed to have had a profound near-death experience in which she was able to accurately recall the sequence of events within the operating theater, the surgical instruments used, and the conversations that had taken place. In an interview that took place for a BBC documentary in 2002, Spetzler affirmed many of the observations that Pam had made and later admitted that he had no explanation for them.[5] In February 2007, Spetzler performed his 5,000th aneurysm procedure.[4] He travels and lectures frequently on the most recent advances in neurosurgery. After 30 years at the Barrow, Dr. Spetzler retired in July 2019, with Michael T. Lawton as his successor.[2]
Surgery of the Cerebellopontine Angle. Nicholas C. Bambakidis (Author), Cliff A. Megerian (Author), Robert F. Spetzler (Author). Pmph USA; 2009. ISBN1-60795-001-4
Medicine, Miracles, and Manifestations: A Doctor's Journey Through the Worlds of Divine Intervention, Near-Death Experiences, and Universal Energy. John L. Turner (Author), Robert F. Spetzler (Foreword). Career Press; 2009. ISBN1-60163-060-3
The Color Atlas of Microneurosurgery W. Koos (Author), Robert Spetzler (Author), Johannes Lang (Author), J. Zabramski (Author), Robert F. Spetzler (Author), Joseph M. Zabramski (Author). Thieme; 2000. ISBN0-86577-780-2.
Pediatric Neurovascular Disease: Surgical, Endovascular and Medical Management. Michael Alexander (Editor), Robert Spetzler (Editor). Thieme; 2005. ISBN1-58890-368-0
Contralateral interhemispheric approach to deep-seated cavernous malformations: surgical considerations and clinical outcomes in 31 consecutive cases. Zaidi HA, Chowdhry SA, Nakaji P, Abla AA, Spetzler RF. Neurosurgery. 2014 Jul;75(1):80-6. PMID24618803
The Anatomy of the Callosomarginal Artery: Applications to Microsurgery and Endovascular Surgery. Cavalcanti DD, Albuquerque FC, Silva BF, Spetzler RF, Preul MC. Neurosurgery. 28 January 2010. PMID20124934
Safety of carotid endarterectomy while on clopidogrel (Plavix). Wait SD, Abla AA, Killory BD, Starke RM, Spetzler RF, Nakaji P. J Neurosurg. 29 January 2010. PMID20113164
Miniaturized handheld confocal microscopy for neurosurgery: results in an experimental glioblastoma model. Sankar T, Delaney PM, Ryan RW, Eschbacher J, Abdelwahab M, Nakaji P, Coons SW, Scheck AC, Smith KA, Spetzler RF, Preul MC. Neurosurgery. 2010 Feb;66(2):410-7; discussion 417-8.PMID20087141
Cerebral cavernous malformations. Incidence and familial occurrence. Rigamonti D, Hadley MN, Drayer BP, Johnson PC, Hoenig-Rigamonti K, Knight JT, Spetzler RF. N Engl J Med. 11 August 1988;319(6):343-7. doi:10.1056/NEJM198808113190605PMID3393196
Preliminary personal experiences with the application of near-infrared indocyanine green videoangiography in extracranial vertebral artery surgery. Bruneau M, Sauvageau E, Nakaji P, Vandesteene A, Lubicz B, Chang SW, Balériaux D, Brotchi J, De Witte O, Spetzler RF. Neurosurgery. 2010 Feb;66(2):305-11; discussion 311.PMID20087130
Using ex vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to reveal associations between biochemical and biological features of meningiomas. Pfisterer WK, Nieman RA, Scheck AC, Coons SW, Spetzler RF, Preul MC. Neurosurg Focus. 2010 Jan;28(1):E12.PMID20043716
Supracerebellar infratentorial approach to cavernous malformations of the brainstem: surgical variants and clinical experience with 45 patients. de Oliveira JG, Lekovic GP, Safavi-Abbasi S, Reis CV, Hanel RA, Porter RW, Preul MC, Spetzler RF. Neurosurgery. 2010 Feb;66(2):389-99.PMID20042987
