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Abstract The manuscript aims to clarify the origins of Western rhinosurgery through the ancient texts of the greatest physicians of the past, up to the Byzantine Era, focusing on the “exchange of knowledge” between peoples. This excursus is carried out by quoting the texts of the greatest doctors of the past, such as Hippocrates, Galen and Celsus and by analysing the works of Byzantine authors such as Oribasius, Aetius, Antillus, which, more than others, represent the moment of fusion and interpenetration of Ancient Medical knowledge, paving the way for the Medieval Scholae Medicae in the West. The aim, therefore, is to fill that sort of "great gap" (from the foundation of Constantinople in the 4th century AD to the early Arab culture in the 11th century AD) due to the fact that figures such as Branca, Vianeo and, finally, Tagliacozzi, are considered direct actors of a recovery of the “ancient knowledge” of classic authors. This literature tends to less evaluate, instead, that important and huge cultural exchange -literally osmotic- in medical and surgical knowledge between peoples and civilizations, that find a trait d'union in the application of medical knowledge and surgical practical techniques matured in the Byzantine, Arab and Early Medieval period. In final analysis, through the History of Rhinosurgery, this paper aims to highlight how Western medical knowledge is made up of the ensemble of cultures which are apparently distant and different from each other, which merge themselves in a truly universal and transcultural knowledge: the Medical knowledge. Level of Evidence V This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

This paper deals with the literary debate on the first experiments regarding blood transfusion on human beings between 1667 and 1668 in Europe, with particular attention to the less-known experimental research, carried out in Italy. The authors examine the details of the experimental developments, focusing on the techniques and instruments used by physicians involved in this new surgical approach, with special attention to the Italian debate and experimentations. The article suggests that transfusion was considered a part of what we could call “emergency surgery”. In this framework, Italian transfusional pioneers played a central role in the improvement and transmission of a discipline that was still in its dawning throughout Europe. Moreover, the manuscript highlights the contribution of the “chirurgia infusoria” as an innovative therapeutic system for an immediate and rapid recovery. From this perspective, blood transfusion represents a surgical practice for reanimation and resuscitation. The objective of this work was to analyze the importance of foreign literature and the English and French disputes presented by Davia in Italy, which made them known. Despite foreign prohibition in Italy, experiments with animal-to-human transfusions continued after 1648. A papal bull excommunicating scientists for conducting such research has never been found., Ovaj članak bavi se književnom raspravom o prvim eksperimentima vezanim uz transfuziju krvi na ljudima između 1667. i 1668. u Europi, s posebnim osvrtom na manje poznata eksperimentalna istraživanja provedena u Italiji. Autori ispituju detalje eksperimentalnog razvoja, fokusirajući se na tehnike i instrumente kojima se koriste liječnici uključeni u ovaj novi kirurški pristup, s posebnim osvrtom na talijansku raspravu i eksperimente. U članku se sugerira da se transfuzija smatra dijelom onoga što bismo mogli nazvati “hitnom operacijom”. U tom su okviru talijanski pioniri transfuzije imali važnu ulogu u poboljšanju i prenošenju discipline koja je još uvijek bila u nastajanju diljem Europe. Štoviše, članak ističe doprinos “chirurgiainfusoria” kao inovativnoga terapijskog sustava za trenutačan i brzi oporavak. Iz te perspektive, transfuzija krvi kirurška je praksa za reanimaciju i oživljavanje. Cilj je ovog rada bio analizirati važnost strane literature i engleskih i francuskih rasprava koje je Davia predstavio u Italiji, čime su oni postali poznati. Unatoč stranoj zabrani u Italiji, eksperimenti s transfuzijama sa životinje na čovjeka nastavljeni su i nakon 1648. Papinska bula koja je ekskomunicirala znanstvenike zbog provođenja takva istraživanja nikada nije pronađena.

Migraine headache (MH) is a very common disorder affecting 10–12% of the world’s adult population. The first line therapy for migraine is usually a combination of conservative treatments but some patients seem to be refractory. For this group of patients, the minimally invasive surgical treatment of migraine might offer a solution. Migraine is usually caused by extracranial sensitive nerve compression due vascular, fascial or muscular structures nearby. The aim of migraine surgery is to relieve such compression at specific trigger points located in the occipital, temporal and frontal regions. From June 2011 until July 2019, we performed MH decompression surgeries in over 269 patients with either frontal, occipital, or temporal migraine trigger sites. In the occipital and temporal areas, nerve decompression was achieved by occipital and superficial temporal artery ligation, respectively. In patients suffering from frontal headache we performed both endoscopic nerve decompression and transpalpebral decompression. Among patient suffering from occipital migraine, 95% of them showed improvement of their condition, with 86% reporting complete relief. As concern temporal migraine, positive outcome was achieved in 83% of the patients (50% complete elimination and 33% partial improvement). In patient suffering from frontal migraine, positive results were observed in 94% of the patients (32% complete elimination, 62% partial improvement). Migraine is a common and debilitating condition that can be treated successfully with minimally invasive surgical procedure especially for those patients non-responding to medical therapies.