Dr M J Arunkumar (Moses Joseph Arunkumar) joined the prestigious Christian Medical College, Vellore for pursuing his medical education (MBBS) in the year 1985. After completing his undergraduate studies, he joined back in the department of Neurosciences at the Christian Medical College, Vellore for training in Neurosurgical speciality.
He completed post-graduation (M.Ch) in Neurosurgery in the year 1998 from CMC, Vellore. He also received the Diplomate of National Board, New Delhi (D.N.B.) in Neurosurgery in the year 1999. He worked as a Consultant in the department of Neurosurgery, CMC hospital, Vellore for a period of one year before he came to Madurai in the year 2000. As a Neurosurgical post graduate resident he had authored a number of articles in the National and International journals which are cited even today in the Medline search (PubMed). He is a fabulous Neurosurgeon with gifted hands trained in micro neurosurgery of the brain and spine at the Christian Medical College, Vellore. Dr M J Arunkumar is indebted to his mentors Professor Mathew J Chandy and Professor V Rajshekhar who have shaped him to be one of the finest Neurosurgeons in this part of the country.
Dr. M. J. Arunkumar was invited to start the department of Neurosurgery/ Neurological Sciences at Apollo Hospital, Madurai in the year 2000 by none other than Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman of the Apollo group of hospitals. When at Apollo hospital, he did the first Endonasal complete excision of the Pituitary (brain) tumour through the nose in December 2000 for the first time in South Tamilnadu (Ref: Press / Media). Again in the year 2001, he did the first successful microsurgical clipping of the brain aneurysm in southern Tamil Nadu (Ref: Press / Media). He brought in a lot of Neurosurgical innovations in those seven years while he was with the Apollo speciality hospital, Madurai. He developed a new set of protocols aggressively treating brain and spine injured patients in the intensive care units successfully. He worked there as Consultant Neurosurgeon till January 2008 and then left Apollo hospital to start his own hospital.
Hannah Joseph Hospital was started by Dr. M. J. Arunkumar, M.B.B.S., M.Ch. (Neuro), DNB (Neurosurgery) its Founder Chairman & Managing Director on the April 1st 2008 at the Lake View Road, K.K. Nagar, Madurai. It was then a 40 bedded Neurosciences and Trauma Centre with 3 Intensive Care Units and a Twin Operation Theatre. This hospital had an in-house Hi speed CT scanner (GE, USA) apart from its Labs, Pharmacy and Radiology services. This place serves as the company’s registered office at present.
Dr. M.J. Arunkumar has been a pioneer in performing and bringing in several advanced Neurosurgical technologies for the first time in Madurai & South Tamilnadu.
He was passionate on procuring modern gadgets for the advancement of Neurosurgery in Madurai city to be at par with the West and other Metropolitan cities of our country.
Several milestones (Ref: Press / Media) have been touched upon since the start of the Hannah Joseph hospital in the city.
In July 2008, soon after inauguration of the hospital, he performed a Complex Multilevel Cervical Spine surgery bringing in the concept of high speed neuro drills (Aesculap, Germany) for Spine surgery
In July 2009, he introduced the concept of Minimally invasive techniques in the field of brain and spine surgeries in this part of Tamilnadu using advanced gadgets including Workstation (Drager, Germany) for Neuro-anaesthesia.
The same year he performed the first paediatric brain aneurysm clipping on a 12 year school girl who fainted in the school due to a sudden aneurysmal rupture causing haemorrhage in the brain.
Neuro Endoscopy Karl Storz (Germany) was introduced for treatment of pituitary tumors and ventriculostomy towards the end of 2009.
Considering the growth of the hospital activities the hospital was incorporated into Hannah Joseph Hospital Private Limited (CIN: U74999TN2011PTC082860) on 24th October, 2011.
In December 2011, Dr. Arunkumar introduced the Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator (SONOCA 300, Germany). This ultrasonic device is used to aspirate or remove tumours of the brain and of the spinal cord.
In the year 2012, he introduced the Intracranial Pressure Monitoring (Codman, USA) device at the Hannah Joseph hospital, Madurai for treating severely head injured patients.
In July 2014, Intra Operative Neuro Monitoring (IONM) by Medtronics, NIM Eclipse (USA) was acquired for use at our hospital.
In the year September 2015, at a grand function the Madurai District Collector Mr. L. Subramanian inaugurated the high end OPMI Pentero 900 microscope from Germany at a cost of rupees two and a half crores for operating on the brain and spine. It can perform intraoperative angiography (ICG/Flow 800) and tumor fluorescence (Yellow 560) in neurovascular and brain tumor surgeries.
In the year October 2016, a surgery was performed with global fusion for multiple anomalies at the CV junction on a young boy successfully. This surgery took 14 hours of operating time in 2 phases on subsequent days.
In 2016 he started the one year post MDS comprehensive AOMSI Fellowship Programme in Cranio Facial Trauma at the Hannah Joseph hospital along with his Oral and Maxillo Facial surgical colleague Dr. N. Venkadasalapathi. It is now the seventh year of the programme going on at our hospital.
In the year February 2017, the BrainLab navigation from Germany at the cost of rupees one and a half crores was introduced for surgeries on the brain and spine.
Brain Bypass Surgery (STA-MCA bypass) was performed successfully on a 52 year old lady patient by Dr. M. J. Arunkumar at the Hannah Joseph Hospital in April, 2018.
In the same year, a brain tumour was removed from an adult using local anaesthesia (Awake Craniotomy) with brain mapping with the patient fully conscious and conversing during the entire two and a half hour procedure successfully using the Yellow fluorescence (Yellow 560) intra operative guidance.
We moved out to the 150 bedded centrally air conditioned new hospital spread over 2 Acres at the National Highway close to the Airport (Ring Road) on the 24th August 2020.
At the new campus in September 2020, he started the integrated state of art complex for Neurosciences, Cardiac sciences, Orthopedics and Traumatology apart from the division of Interventional Neuroradiology with the introduction of the Hybrid Neuro-Cardiac Cathlab from Philips and the Digital MRI (1.5 Tesla) also from Philips.
In July 2021, we performed the Neuroendovascular intervention for a brain aneurysm treatment using “Silk Vista” on a middle aged patient successfully.
In June 2022, a rare and complex Giant tumour was completely removed from the CV junction (Brain/Spine junction) in a pediatric patient in 2 phases
To expand further the facilities, the Hannah Joseph hospital was converted into a Public Limited Company during July 2022
In September 2022, the Interventional Neuroradiology team launched the advanced Intrasaccular Web Device (ISD) for the Endovascular treatment of Aneurysm patient
In March 2023, the Hannah Joseph hospital has been Fully Accredited in NABH (5th Edition) and NABL
In July 2023 the institute has started the 6 years Direct DrNB Neurosurgery courses for post MBBS graduates offering 2 seats every year
In August 2023 rare case of the Temporomandibular Joint Replacement Surgery was done by the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Dr M. J. Arunkumar had visited countries like Germany, UK, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and the United States of America to gain advanced surgical skills and technology in the field of Microneurosurgery & Endoscopic Neurosurgery. He is the first to bring in the concept of using modern Neurosurgical gadgets in Central and Southern part of Tamil Nadu. The introduction of the high end Neurosurgical microscope (Carl Zeiss Pentero 900, Germany) with Tumour Fluorescence technology and Intra operative Angiography (ICG/Flow 800) in Neurovascular surgeries in the year 2015, the Brain and Spine Neuro navigation technology from BrainLab, Germany for the first time to the city of Madurai in the year 2016 were some of the contributions made by Dr Arunkumar to modernise Neurosurgery in this part of the country. He has been an invited Guest Faculty in Neurosurgery for many State and National Neurosurgical conferences. He has authored several national & international peer reviewed publications in the last two decades in Neurosurgery and its allied sciences. He has also been the Examiner for the Diplomate of National Board of Examinations in Neurosurgery.
Dr. M. J. Arunkumar was elected as President (2022-2023) of the Tamilnadu Association of Neurological Surgeons (TANS) in the annual meeting held at Chennai in April, 2019. The Hindu has published a monograph titled “The Life Story of a Neurosurgeon” by Soma Basu in its Metro Plus edition dated 5th, May 2016 to highlight the work of Dr. M. J. Arunkumar.
1. Motor and
Somatosensory Evoked Potential Monitoring in a Primate model of Experimental
Spinal Cord Injury. Dr M J Arunkumar, Dr Srinivasa Babu,
Dr Mathew J Chandy, 46 th Annual of Neurological Society of India
11 – 14 th December, 1997 Jaipur, India
2. Kyphotic
changes following Central Cervical Corpectomy. Dr M J Arunkumar &
Dr V Rajshekhar. Neurocon 98, Annual Conference of the
Neurological Society of India held at Trivandrum, India in December 1998
3. Classification
and Management of CV Junction Tuberculosis. Dr M J Arunkumar &
Dr V Rajshekhar. 48th Annual Conference of the Neurological Society of
India. December 16 – 19 th, 1999, Hyderabad, India
4. Management
of post-traumatic cranio spinal injuries, Dr M J Arunkumar, 8th conference of
International Trauma Anasthesia & Critical Care Society – Indian Chapter
(ITACCS – TRAUMA CRITICARE ’04), October 22nd to 24th, 2004, Pondicherry
Institute of Medical Sciences, Pondicherry
5. Anterior
Cervical Discectomy with Fusion. Dr M J Arunkumar at the 5
th Annual Conference of Neurospinal Surgeons Foundation of India 15 – 17 July
2005 Pune, India
6. Lamina
Terminalis Fenestration in Surgery for ACOM Aneurysm. Dr M J
Arunkumar, 54th Annual Conference of the Neurological Society of
India December 15-18, 2005 Visakhapatnam, India
7. Role of Ventriculoperitoneal
Shunt in a pre-term neonate with hydrocephalus secondary to intraventricular
hemorrhage, Dr M J Arunkumar, Hydrocephalus 2006, 6th to
9th September 2006, Goteborg, Sweden
8. Anterior
Corpectomy and Fusion for Thoracolumbar Tuberculosis. Dr M J Arunkumar Annual
Conference of the Neurological Society of India, December 2006, Madurai, India
9. Current concept in the
Management of Craniospinal Trauma, Dr M J Arunkumar, at the 4th
Annual Conference of AOMS TN & Pondy Chapter 3rd – 5th April 2009,
Kodaikanal
10.
Approach and Management of
Skull base tumours Dr M J
Arunkumar at “STAR-2016” student convention & Prof.
B. Srinivasan’s memorial CME, Rajah Muthiah Dental College & Hospital,
Annamalai University, Dec 10, 2016.
11.
Clinical
Outcome following early Clipping in poor grade patients with Ruptured Anterior
Circulation Aneurysm. Dr M J Arunkumar, Dr K Senthilkumar,
Dr R Veerapandian. 1st Annual Conference of Tamilnadu and Pondicherry
Association of Neurological Surgeons (TANPANS) held at Pondicherry, April 7,
2017
12.
Role of
ICG/Flow 800 Video Angiography in Quantitative Assessment of Flow Dynamics in
Cerebrovascular Surgery. Dr M J Arunkumar, Dr K
Senthilkumar, Dr R Veerapandian. 18 th Annual Meeting of the Cerebrovascular
Society of India (NEUROVASCON 2018) held at Chennai from 7 – 9 th September,
2018
13.
STA – MCA
Bypass Surgery for Radiation induced ICA occlusion. Dr M J Arunkumar,
Dr K Senthilkumar, Dr R Veerapandian. 18 th Annual Meeting of the
Cerebrovascular Society of India (NEUROVASCON 2018) held at Chennai from 7 – 9
th September, 2018
14.
Image
Guided Spinal Navigation: Our Initial Experience. Dr M J Arunkumar, Dr K
Senthilkumar, Dr R Veerapandian. 18 th Annual Conference of Neuro Spinal
Surgeons Association of India (SPINE 2018) held at Nagpur from 28 – 30
September, 2018
15.
Posterior
Spinal Approach for Ventrally located Intradural Meningiomas. Dr M J Arunkumar, Dr K
Senthilkumar, Dr R Veerapandian. 18 th Annual Conference of Neuro Spinal
Surgeons Association of India (SPINE 2018) held at Nagpur from 28 – 30
September, 2018
16.
Limitations
of Image Guided Spinal Navigation in Cervical Spine Surgeries. Dr M J
Arunkumar, Dr K Senthilkumar, Dr R Veerapandian. 17TH Annual
Meeting of the Asia Pacific Society of Cervical Spine (APSCS) held at New
Delhi, 15th – 17th Nov, 2018
17.
Intraoperative
Tumour Fluorescence (Yellow 560) in High Grade Gliomas with Early
Post-operative MRI to assess Tumour resection. Dr M J Arunkumar,
Dr K Senthilkumar, Dr R Veerapandian. 67th Annual Conference of the
Neurological Society of India, NSICON 2018, December 13 – 16th, Jaipur, India
18.
Extraventricular
Choroid Plexus Carcinoma with Skull Metastasis. Dr M J Arunkumar,
Dr Geeta Chacko, Dr K Senthilkumar, Dr R Veerapandian. 67th Annual Conference of the Neurological
Society of India, NSICON 2018, 13 – 16th December 2018, Jaipur, India
19.
An
Overview of Image guided Spine Navigation and its Limitations. Dr M J
Arunkumar, Dr K Senthilkumar, Dr R Veerapandian. 2nd Annual Conference
of Tamilnadu Association of Neurological Surgeons (TANS 2019) held at Mamallapuram, Chennai April 5 – 7 th, 2019
20.
Achieving
Zero Facial Nerve Morbidity in planned Subtotal Resection of Large and Giant
Vestibular Schwannomas. Dr M J Arunkumar, Dr K Senthilkumar, Dr R Veerapandian. 21st Annual
Conference of Skull Base Surgery Society of India October 10th – 12th, 2019,
Coimbatore
21.
Quantitative
Assessment of Flow Dynamics using ICG/Flow 800 Video Angiography in resection
of Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformation. Dr M J Arunkumar,
Dr K Senthilkumar, Dr R Veerapandian. 68 th Annual Conference of the
Neurological Society of India, Mumbai December 5 – 8 th, 2019
22.
Anterior nasoseptal flap in
endoscopic pituitary adenoma surgery, Dr M J Arunkumar, 8th Annual Conference of Neuroendoscopy
Society Of India held, in Delhi from 25-27 March, 2022
23.
Management
of Ruptured Anterior Circulation Aneurysms in Poor Grade patients. Dr
M J Arunkumar, Dr A Ganesh,
Dr K Senthilkumar, Dr R Veerapandian, CME CMC, Vellore August 2022
24. Challenges
in the Management of Ruptured Anterior Circulation Aneurysms in poor grade
patients. Dr M J Arunkumar, Dr K Senthilkumar, Dr R
Veerapandian. 2022 Annual Conference of Tamilnadu Association of Neurological
Surgeons held at Thanjavur April 29 – May 1st, 2022
25. Surgery
for Unruptured Giant Aneurysms of the Anterior Circulation. Dr M J Arunkumar, Dr K
Senthilkumar, Dr R Veerapandian. Annual Conference of Tamilnadu Association of
Neurological Surgeons (TANS 2022) held at Thanjavur April 29 – May 1st, 2022
26. Outcome
Squares integrating efficacy and safety in Endoscopic Pituitary Adenoma
surgeries: our experience. Dr M J Arunkumar, Dr K
Senthilkumar, Dr R Veerapandian, Dr A. Ganesh, Annual Conference of the
Neurological Society of India at Chandigarh, March 2023
27. Microvascular
Decompression – Trigeminal Neuralagia, Dr M J Arunkumar, Diamond Jubilee
Year CME, Department of Neurosurgery, Madurai Medical College & Madurai
Neurosurgical Academy, September 8th & 9th, 2023
28. Anterior Cervical Corpectomy: Guidelines for safe surgery Dr M J Arunkumar, Dr. R Veerapandian, Dr A. Ganesh at at the Annual Conference of the Neuro Spinal Surgeons Association of India (NSSA), New Delhi on 15th September, 2023
1. Sacral nerve root cysts: A review on pathophysiology.
ArunKumar MJ, Selvapandian S, Chandy MJ. Neurol India. 1999 Mar;47(1):61-4.
PMID: 10339712 Review.
2. Medullomyoblastoma: A case report.
ArunKumar MJ, Chacko G, Chandi SM, Chandy MJ. Neurol India. 1999 Mar;47(1):55-7.
PMID: 10339710
3. Marinacci communication: an electrophysiological study.
Meenakshi-Sundaram S, Sundar B, Arunkumar MJ. Clin Neurophysiol. 2003
Dec;114(12):2334-7. doi: 10.1016/s1388-2457(03)00260-8.
PMID: 14652092
4. Unusual case of temporal dermoid cyst presenting as oculomotor nerve palsy.
Adulkar NG, Arunkumar MJ, Kumar SM, Kim U. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2014
Oct;62(10):1032-4. doi: 10.4103/0301-4738.146039.
PMID: 25449944 Free PMC article.
5. Intrasellar tuberculoma presenting as pituitary apoplexy.
Arunkumar MJ, Rajshekhar V. Neurol India. 2001 Dec;49(4):407-10.
PMID: 11799419
6. Outcome in neurologically impaired patients with craniovertebral junction tuberculosis: results of combined anteroposterior surgery.
Arunkumar MJ, Rajshekhar V. J Neurosurg. 2002 Sep;97(2 Suppl):166-71. doi: 10.3171/spi.2002.97.2.0166.
PMID: 12296673
7. Spontaneous fluctuation in the size of a midline posterior fossa arachnoid cyst.
Arunkumar MJ, Haran RP, Chandy MJ. Br J Neurosurg. 1999 Jun;13(3):326-8. doi: 10.1080/02688699943781.
PMID: 10562848
8. Motor and somatosensory evoked potentials in a primate model of experimental spinal cord injury.
Arunkumar MJ, Srinivasa Babu K, Chandy MJ. Neurol India. 2001 Sep;49(3):219-24.
PMID: 11593236
9. Changes in cervical spine curvature after uninstrumented one- and two-level corpectomy in patients with
spondylotic myelopathy.
Rajshekhar V, Arunkumar MJ, Kumar SS. Neurosurgery. 2003 Apr;52(4):799-804; discussion 804-5.
doi: 10.1227/01.neu.0000054218.50113.40.
PMID: 12657175
10. Neurocutaneous melanosis: a case of primary intracranial melanoma with metastasis.
Arunkumar MJ, Ranjan A, Jacob M, Rajshekhar V. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol). 2001;13(1):52-4. doi: 10.1053/clon.2001.9215.
PMID: 11292138
11. High cervical and lumbar canal stenosis of varied etiology: a case report.
Arunkumar MJ, Rajshekhar V. Neurol India. 2002 Mar;50(1):81-3.
PMID: 11960158
12. Penetrating intracranial wooden object: case report and review of CT morphology, complications, and management.
Arunkumar MJ, Selvapandian S, Rajshekhar V. Surg Neurol. 1999 Jun;51(6):617-20. doi: 10.1016/s0090-3019(99)00029-4.
PMID: 10369229
13. Management and outcome of brain abscess in renal transplant recipients.
Arunkumar MJ, Rajshekhar V, Chandy MJ, Thomas PP, Jacob CK. Postgrad Med J. 2000 Apr;76(894):207-11. doi: 10.1136/pmj.76.894.207.
PMID: 10727562 Free PMC article.
14. Dynamic CSF flow study in the pathophysiology of syringomyelia associated with arachnoid cysts of the posterior fossa.
Arunkumar MJ, Korah I, Chandy MJ. Br J Neurosurg. 1998 Feb;12(1):33-6. doi: 10.1080/02688699845483.
PMID: 11013645
15. Uninstrumented ventral surgery for subaxial cervical spine tuberculosis: clinical and radiological outcome.
Moorthy RK, Arunkumar MJ, Rajshekhar V. Br J Neurosurg. 2004 Dec;18(6):584-9. doi: 10.1080/02688690400022839.
PMID: 15799189
16. Recurrent venous thrombosis with factor V Leiden mutation.
Meenakshi-Sundaram S, Sridhar R, Jithendrian JJ, Durai RN, Arunkumar MJ, Sundar B. J Assoc Physicians India. 2005 Jul;53:642-4.
PMID: 16190136
17. A petrous bone artefact on MRI: technical note.
Arunkumar MJ, Haran RP. Neuroradiology. 1998 Jun;40(6):385-6. doi: 10.1007/s002340050606.
PMID: 9689629
18. Artifacts in magnetic resonance images following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: report of two cases.
Arunkumar MJ, Rajshekhar V. Br J Neurosurg. 1998 Dec;12(6):553-5. doi: 10.1080/02688699844411.
PMID: 10070465
19. Susceptible and protective associations of HLA DRB1*/DQB1* alleles and haplotypes with ischaemic stroke.
Murali V, Rathika C, Ramgopal S, Padma Malini R, Arun Kumar MJ, Neethi Arasu V, Jeyaram Illiayaraja K, Balakrishnan K. Int J
Immunogenet. 2016 Jun;43(3):159-65. doi: 10.1111/iji.12266. Epub 2016 Apr 22.
PMID: 27105925
20. Sacral nerve root cysts: A review on pathophysiology.
ArunKumar MJ, Selvapandian S, Chandy MJ. Neurol India. 1999 Mar;47(1):61-4.
PMID: 10339712 Review.
21. Medullomyoblastoma: A case report.
ArunKumar MJ, Chacko G, Chandi SM, Chandy MJ. Neurol India. 1999 Mar;47(1):55-7.
PMID: 10339710
22. Neuroacanthocytosis misdiagnosed as Huntington’s disease: a case report.
Meenakshi-Sundaram S, Arun Kumar MJ, Sridhar R, Rani U, Sundar B. J Neurol Sci. 2004 Apr 15;219(1-2):163-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2004.01.003.
PMID: 15050453
Chapter 66, in Volume 2 of the Textbook of Comprehensive Neurosurgery, by Bohr Publications
Past President – Tamilnadu Neurological Surgeons Association (2022- 2023)
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