SUMMARY
The research of Fredric B. Meyer, M.D., focuses on understanding and explaining the underlying metabolic and physiological components of diseases and conditions that affect the brain. These include brain tumors, hydrocephalus, stroke, epilepsy and trigeminal neuralgia.
Dr. Meyer's goals are to develop better medical and surgical treatments to improve patient outcomes.
Focus areas
- Brain tumors. Dr. Meyer develops advanced surgical techniques and new approaches to best remove tumors in difficult-to-treat regions of the brain. To do this, he uses advanced computer guidance and intraoperative brain mapping in awake brain surgeries. When patients are under general anesthesia, he uses motor mapping. These efforts focus on glioma, glioblastoma, craniopharyngioma and meningioma pituitary tumors.
- Pituitary tumors. Dr. Meyer's team optimizes and refines advanced, endoscopic, team-based surgical approaches to removing pituitary tumors. The team's goal is to provide better long-term outcomes for patients in vision, endocrine system function and brain function. The team focuses on tumor types such as Cushing disease, acromegaly related to Rathke cleft cyst, craniopharyngioma and meningioma.
- Trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm. Dr. Meyer develops and improves surgical approaches and microvascular techniques to achieve microvascular decompression of cranial nerves. Advances in this area can alleviate pain and discomfort at the lowest risk to patients.
- Hydrocephalus. Dr. Meyer is developing new shunt devices and tools to treat normal pressure hydrocephalus and other cerebrospinal fluid flow disturbances while providing patients with the best possible outcomes.
- Cerebrovascular disease. Dr. Meyer is working to find the best treatment approaches for occlusive cerebrovascular diseases. He is particularly focused on carotid stenosis and endarterectomy, cerebral aneurysm repair, and bypass surgery for moyamoya disease. He also specializes in surgical excision of cavernous hemangioma, arteriovenous malformation and arteriovenous fistula. In addition to advancing surgical and treatment approaches, his research in this area focuses on postoperative management in the neurointensive care unit.
Significance to patient care
By better understanding diseases that affect the brain, Dr. Meyer aims to personalize complex skull surgeries. His research supports the increased use of advanced operative techniques and treatment methods to achieve the best outcomes at the lowest operative cost with the fewest neurological risks to the patient.
Achieving these goals requires in-depth clinical research based on patient registries. At the same time, laboratory investigation helps to better understand the molecular and pathological basis of neurological diseases.
Dr. Meyer's research on advanced engineering and cell-based drug and regenerative treatments will continue to improve patient outcomes and ease recovery from surgery.
Professional highlights
- Dean, Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, 2016-present.
- Juanita Kious Waugh Executive Dean of Education, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, 2016-present.
- Executive director, American Board of Neurological Surgery, 2015-present.
- Enterprise chair, Department of Neurological Surgery, Mayo Clinic, 2014-present.
- Distinguished Service Award, Neurosurgical Society of America, 2021.
- Alfred Uihlein Family Professor of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, 2006.