Research

Neurosurgical Research

Dr Wells is passionate about Neurosurgical research, and is the clinical lead on a number of trials and research projects as well as holding the Abbie Simpson Fellowship for Neurosurgical Research since his return from Cambridge University in 2018. He is the only Neurosurgeon practicing in South Australia with a PhD. He has a number of clinical projects in various stages of research, with special interests in traumatic brain injury and brain tumours.

https://www.nrf.com.au/researchers/dr-adam-wells

Awards, Prizes and Distinctions

Australian Medical Students Association/Medical Defence Association of Australia Research Scholarship, 2002
A. R. Riddle Scholarship, 2002
Education Prize (Neurotrauma), Neurosurgical Trainee Seminar, April 2009
Neurosurgical Research Foundation Research Fellowship, 2010 and 2012
National Health and Medical Research Council Dora Lush Biomedical Postgraduate Scholarship, 2011
NIMMO Prize for Full Time Research, Royal Adelaide Hospital, 2011
Peter Leech Memorial Prize, Neurosurgical Society of Australasia Annual Scientific Meeting, 2014
Teaching Award, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, 2017

Grants

Dr Wells is Chief Investigator on a number of recent successful Medical Research Future Fund grants on the subject of traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's Disease, and Smart brain tumour biopsy needles.

Select publications

Wells A, Vink R, Blumbergs P, Brophy B, Helps S, Knox S, Turner R. A Surgical Model of Permanent and Transient Middle Cerebral Artery Stroke in the Sheep. PloS one, 7(7):e42157, 2012.
Wells A, McDonald J, Sandler S, Vrodos N. Lumbosacral epidural lipomatosis causing rapid onset cauda equina syndrome. J Clin Neurosci, 21(7):1262-1263, 2014.
Wells A, Abou-Hamden A. Neurosurgery, in P Lanzer (Ed), PanVascular Medicine (2nd Edition), Springer, Berlin, pp. 2771-98, 2015.
Wells A, Vink R, Helps S, Knox S, Blumbergs P, Turner R. Elevated intracranial pressure and cerebral edema following permanent MCA occlusion in an ovine model. PloS one, 10(6):e0130512, 2015.
Black-Tiong SP, Sandler SJ, Otto S, Wells AJ. Adult supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumour presenting as intracranial haemorrhage: Case report. J Clin Neurosci, pii: S0967-5868(16)30130-8, 2016.
Digby R, Wells A, Menon D, Helmy A. Foix-Chavany-Marie syndrome secondary to bilateral traumatic operculum injury. Acta Neurochirurgica, 160:2303-05, 2018.
Wells AJ, Hutchinson PJA. The management of traumatic brain injury. Surgery, 36(11):613-20, 2018.
Sorby-Adams AJ, Leonard AV, Hoving JW, Yassi N, Vink R, Wells AJ, Turner RJ. NK1-r Antagonist Treatment Comparable to Decompressive Craniectomy in Reducing Intracranial Pressure Following Stroke. Front Neurosci, 13:681, 2019.
Hutchinson PJ et al. Consensus statement from the International Consensus Meeting on the Role of Decompressive Craniectomy in the Management of Traumatic Brain Injury: Consensus statement. Acta Neurochir (Wien), 161(7):1261-1274, 2019.
Moneim J, Wenlock RD, Wells AJ et al. Single procedure revision cranioplasty with intra-operative autoclave following titanium plate exposure. Br J Neurosurg, Nov 18:1-4, 2019.
Wells AJ, Smielewski P, Travedi RA, Hutchinson PJ. Intracranial pressure monitoring in head injury, in P Whitfield (Ed), Traumatic Brain Injury: A Multidisciplinary Approach (2nd Edition), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 110-31, 2020.
Condon TM, Sexton RW, Wells AJ, To M. The weakness of fragility index exposed in an analysis of the traumatic brain injury management guidelines: a meta-epidemiological and simulation study. PloS one, August 2020, doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237879.
Cheriyan S, Wells AJ, Santoreneos S. Rapid Growth of an Atypical Meningioma in Association with Cyproterone Acetate Use: Case Report. J Clin Neurosci, 82:268-70, December 2020, doi.org/10.1016/j.jocn.2020.09. 053.
To M, Condon TM, Sexton RW, Wells AJ. Letter to the Editor, Re: Fragility Analysis of Statistically Significant Outcomes of Randomised Control Trials in Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review. Spine, 45(24):e1707, December 2020, doi:10.1097/BRS0000000000003729.

In the Media

Dr Adam Wells 3D Printed Brain Surgery newspaper article

Published in The Advertiser, 28 Nov 2019. Dr Wells 'operates' on a world-first 3D printed brain with Mark Roe, CEO of Adelaide based anatomical company Fusetec.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7733667/Fusetec-launch-3D-printed-brains-surgeons-practice-procedures.html

https://fusetec.com.au/blog/2019/11/28/worlds-first-neurosurgery-on-an-advance-additive-manufactured-skull-and-brain/

Dr Wells Smart Cranioplasty Helmet Newspaper Article

Published in The Advertiser, 9 Oct 2020. Dr Wells' patient Rebecca McAlpine receives Australia's first SkullPro 'smart helmet'.

https://www.anatomics.com/au/news/2020/10/13/skullpro-by-anatomics-to-protect-brain.html

Neurosurgical Research

Awards, Prizes and Distinctions

Australian Medical Students Association/Medical Defence Association of Australia Research Scholarship, 2002

A. R. Riddle Scholarship, 2002

Education Prize (Neurotrauma), Neurosurgical Trainee Seminar, April 2009

Neurosurgical Research Foundation Research Fellowship, 2010 and 2012

National Health and Medical Research Council Dora Lush Biomedical Postgraduate Scholarship, 2011

NIMMO Prize for Full Time Research, Royal Adelaide Hospital, 2011

Peter Leech Memorial Prize, Neurosurgical Society of Australasia Annual Scientific Meeting, 2014

Teaching Award, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, 2017

Grants

Select publications

Wells A, Vink R, Blumbergs P, Brophy B, Helps S, Knox S, Turner R. A Surgical Model of Permanent and Transient Middle Cerebral Artery Stroke in the Sheep. PloS one, 7(7):e42157, 2012.

Wells A, McDonald J, Sandler S, Vrodos N. Lumbosacral epidural lipomatosis causing rapid onset cauda equina syndrome. J Clin Neurosci, 21(7):1262-1263, 2014.

Wells A, Abou-Hamden A. Neurosurgery, in P Lanzer (Ed), PanVascular Medicine (2nd Edition), Springer, Berlin, pp. 2771-98, 2015.

Wells A, Vink R, Helps S, Knox S, Blumbergs P, Turner R. Elevated intracranial pressure and cerebral edema following permanent MCA occlusion in an ovine model. PloS one, 10(6):e0130512, 2015.

Black-Tiong SP, Sandler SJ, Otto S, Wells AJ. Adult supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumour presenting as intracranial haemorrhage: Case report. J Clin Neurosci, pii: S0967-5868(16)30130-8, 2016.

Digby R, Wells A, Menon D, Helmy A. Foix-Chavany-Marie syndrome secondary to bilateral traumatic operculum injury. Acta Neurochirurgica, 160:2303-05, 2018.

Wells AJ, Hutchinson PJA. The management of traumatic brain injury. Surgery, 36(11):613-20, 2018.

Sorby-Adams AJ, Leonard AV, Hoving JW, Yassi N, Vink R, Wells AJ, Turner RJ. NK1-r Antagonist Treatment Comparable to Decompressive Craniectomy in Reducing Intracranial Pressure Following Stroke. Front Neurosci, 13:681, 2019.

Hutchinson PJ et al. Consensus statement from the International Consensus Meeting on the Role of Decompressive Craniectomy in the Management of Traumatic Brain Injury: Consensus statement. Acta Neurochir (Wien), 161(7):1261-1274, 2019.

Moneim J, Wenlock RD, Wells AJ et al. Single procedure revision cranioplasty with intra-operative autoclave following titanium plate exposure. Br J Neurosurg, Nov 18:1-4, 2019.

Wells AJ, Smielewski P, Travedi RA, Hutchinson PJ. Intracranial pressure monitoring in head injury, in P Whitfield (Ed), Traumatic Brain Injury: A Multidisciplinary Approach (2nd Edition), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 110-31, 2020.

Condon TM, Sexton RW, Wells AJ, To M. The weakness of fragility index exposed in an analysis of the traumatic brain injury management guidelines: a meta-epidemiological and simulation study. PloS one, August 2020, doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237879.

Cheriyan S, Wells AJ, Santoreneos S. Rapid Growth of an Atypical Meningioma in Association with Cyproterone Acetate Use: Case Report. J Clin Neurosci, 82:268-70, December 2020, doi.org/10.1016/j.jocn.2020.09. 053.

To M, Condon TM, Sexton RW, Wells AJ. Letter to the Editor, Re: Fragility Analysis of Statistically Significant Outcomes of Randomised Control Trials in Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review. Spine, 45(24):e1707, December 2020, doi:10.1097/BRS0000000000003729.

In the Media