Just like Raymond M. Peardon Donaghy and Gazi Yasargil changed modern neurosurgery by introducing the surgical microscope into the operating room, so did Leonardo Gigli by developing and using for the first time a tool that allowed faster, easier, and safer opening of the skull. The invention of the simple but brilliant Gigli saw represented a game changer for practitioners of neurosurgery worldwide. Gigli (1863-1908) was an Italian surgeon and obstetrician remembered among others for describing his operation-the lateralized version of Severin Pineau's pubiotomy for safe delivery in cases of maternal pelvic deformity-and for designing the Gigli saw, a simple yet brilliant wire saw, versatile enough to be used as both a tool of war and a surgical instrument in the fields of gynecology, orthopedics, surgery, and neurosurgery. The authors pay tribute to Gigli and his contribution at 125 years since the first written mention of his innovative instrument.
Keywords: Gigli saw; History; Leonardo Gigli; Neurosurgery.
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.