Ladislau Steiner, 1920-2013

Abstract

The authors commemorate the life and career of Dr. Ladislau Steiner, one of the world's most highly regarded neurosurgeons, from Stockholm and Charlottesville, Virginia, who has died at age 92. They review the events of Dr. Steiner's early life, including his early training in his native Romania, his escape with his family from East Berlin, and his postgraduate training in neurosurgery at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Dr. Steiner's work in the development of microsurgery and his collaboration with Lars Leksell in the development of Gamma Knife radiosurgery are described. After his retirement from Karolinska, Dr. Steiner had a second career as head of the Lars Leksell Gamma Knife Center at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The authors recall their own long association with Dr. Steiner and celebrate his contributions to the field of neurosurgery.