Dr. Ekkehard Kasper, MD

Expert Publications

• Survival after concurrent traumatic dislocation of the atlanto-occipital and atlanto-axial joints: a case report and review of the literature.
• Microdysgenesis: Historical roots of an important concept in epilepsy.
• Drain associated meningitis and ventriculitis remains a pivotal problem in neurointensive care: to understand their causes we need better surveillance data.
• Neurosurgical education in Europe and the United States of America.
• Neuropathology of epilepsy and psychosis: the contributions of J.A.N. Corsellis.
• 18Fluoroethyl-L-tyrosine-PET in long-term epilepsy associated glioneuronal tumors.
• A pregnant female with a large intracranial mass: Reviewing the evidence to obtain management guidelines for intracranial meningiomas during pregnancy.
• Posterior leukoencephalopathy following repair of an ileocecal anastomosis breakdown: a case report and review of the literature.
• Predicting postoperative hydrocephalus in 227 patients with skull base meningioma.
• Histiocytosis X: Characteristics, behavior, and treatments as illustrated in a case series.
• Post-transplant aspergillosis and the role of combined neurosurgical and antifungal therapies under belatacept immunosuppression.
• Cyberknife hypofractionated stereotactic radiosurgery (HSRS) of resection cavity after excision of large cerebral metastasis: efficacy and safety of an 800 cGy × 3 daily fractions regimen.
• Epilepsy gene LGI1 regulates postnatal developmental remodeling of retinogeniculate synapses.
• "Time is brain" the Gifford factor - or: Why do some civilian gunshot wounds to the head do unexpectedly well? A case series with outcomes analysis and a management guide.
• Extent of resection and radiotherapy in GBM: A 1973 to 2007 surveillance, epidemiology and end results analysis of 21,783 patients.

Media Releases

Get to know Neurosurgeon Dr. Ekkehard Kasper, who serves patients in Brighton, Massachusetts. 

Dr. Kasper is an internationally renowned neurosurgeon and professor of neurosurgery who has a deep mastery of surgical intervention for diseases, injuries, and conditions that impact the brain and spinal cord. He joined the medical staff at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center and Steward Medical Group. 

With a particular interest in neuro-oncology, he treats tumors on the brain, spine, and pituitary gland, whether they are benign, malignant, or metastatic. He will continue this focus of his practice in Boston in collaboration with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. 

In addition, he frequently cares for patients suffering from conditions that impact the brain and spine such as: hydrocephalus, Chiari malformation, Trigeminal neuralgia and facial pain, spinal stenosis, degenerative disk disease, traumatic brain injury, cavernomas, intracranial hemorrhage, and others. Dr. Kasper is experienced in minimally invasive and endoscopic procedures, as well as in using cutting-edge methods in radiosurgery, and his practice has a unique focus in treating women who need neurosurgical care during pregnancy.

Through St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center’s partnership with Boston University, he will be joining Boston University School of Medicine as teaching faculty. 

His acclaimed career in medicine began after he earned his medical degree from Albert Ludwig University in Freiburg, Germany, and was awarded a neurobiology doctorate (DPhil) from Oxford University where he attended St. John’s College. He later completed neurosurgical residency at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston. 

In addition to his training at MGH, Dr. Kasper pursued a research fellowship in neuroanatomy and cell biology and a clinical fellowship in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, radiosurgery and neurosurgical oncology at the University of Freiburg in Germany. 

Remaining at the forefront of his challenging field, he is board-certified in neurosurgery and neurocritical care by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, with additional certifications in neurosurgery in Canada and Europe. 

Prior to joining St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Dr. Kasper was a Professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and served as Service Head of Neurosurgery and Director of the Brain Tumor Service at Hamilton Health Sciences and its Juravinski Cancer Center. 

Prior to that, he spent 13 years at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where he was Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. He also held several leadership roles, including Chief of Neurosurgical Oncology and Stereotactic Neurosurgery & Co-Director of the Brain Tumor and Keith Field Cyberknife Center. 

An active member of many neurosurgical professional societies, both in North America, Asia, and Europe, Dr. Kasper is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada.

Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, surgical treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system. Neurosurgeons are doctors who diagnose and treat problems with the nervous system, often by performing surgery on the brain or spine. They treat strokes, tumors, cervical and lumbar disc disease, infections, and head or spinal cord injuries.

With strong interest in research, medical education, and academic work, Dr. Kasper holds various editorial roles for 13 scientific journals. He is also a reviewer for 29 journals in the field related to neurology and neurosurgery, both domestic and international. 

Among his various accolades include Compassionate Doctor Recognition (2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011), Patients’ Choice Award (2016, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2011), Top 10 Doctor – Metro Area (2014), Top 10 Doctor – City (2014), Top 10 Doctor – State (2014), and On-Time Doctor Award (2016, 2015).

On a more personal note, Dr. Kasper is fluent in English, French, and German.

Recommended Articles

• Lobotomies in Other Countries

  What is a lobotomy and why was it used?A lobotomy is a neurosurgical procedure used for the treatment of various psychological conditions, such as severe depression, mania, schizophrenia, etc. It was even used for the treatment of homosexuality.The idea of brain surgery started around 1890, when a...

• Different Types of Physicians Explained

  Doctors or physicians are categorized according to different factors including medical specialties and subspecialties. Most doctors specialize in a specific area of medicine. This article provides a summary of the different types of doctors in the medical field. AllergistsAllergists are also...

• What Is a Transorbital Lobotomy?

  Transorbital LobotomyTransorbital lobotomy was once considered as a form of neurosurgery that was labeled as "insane". A pioneer in this field was a Portuguese doctor named António Egas Moniz. He introduced frontal lobotomy in 1935 for certain cases of psychosis and won a Nobel Prize because of...

• How to Prepare for a Laminectomy

  Laminectomy is a procedure where a surgeon removes a part or more parts of your vertebrae or any ligaments on your spinal cord that exert pressure on the nerves. Laminectomy is said to be the most common back surgery performed for disability and pain. The following are some expectations before,...

• What Is a Prefrontal Lobotomy?

  Lobotomy is a neurosurgical procedure invented in 1935 by a Portuguese neurologist named Moniz. Moniz won the Nobel Prize in 1949 for his achievement. It was believed that lobotomy was successful in the treatment of various psychological diseases like depression, bipolar disorders, mania,...

• Treatment for Parkinson's Disease

  Parkinson’s Disease: It Isn't EasyTony led a normal life just like many of us. He was approaching his fifth to sixth decade, and he was the head of an engineering department--capable of making decisions and recalling those decisions. But suddenly, communication with his wife and children was...