Phanor L. Perot Jr.

CHARLESTON - Dr. Phanor L. Perot Jr., 82, died February 2, 2011, at his home in Charleston, S.C. Dr. Perot served as chairman of the Medical University of South Carolina's Department of Neurological Surgery from 1968 to 1997.

Since growing up in Monroe Louisiana, the son of an EENT physician and piano teacher, Dr. Perot had built a reputation as one of the nation's preeminent neurosurgical researchers, academicians and clinicians. He was credited with the development of widely used operative practices, medical management strategies for spinal injuries, and innovative organizational concepts in neurological clinical services.

An undergraduate of Virginia Military Institute, 1945-1947 and a 1948 graduate of the Tulane University School of Medicine, Dr. Perot developed an interest in neurosurgery during his internship at the Philadelphia General Hospital and surgical residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. After serving two years in the U.S. Navy, he completed a neurosurgical residency at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI). While at MNI, he received a special fellowship from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness and obtained a Ph.D. in neurosurgery and neurophysiology from McGill University. During this time he also worked with renowned neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield, M.D. and authored a paper on epilepsy, now recognized as one of only a handful of publications to be considered a classic because of frequent citations over an extended period.

In 1968, Dr. Perot left the Montreal Neurological Institute to take a position as chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina. Over the next 30 years, he became widely known as one of the nation's leading educators and researchers in the field of neurological surgery. In addition to leading the Medical University's neurological surgery program, he served as president of many neurosurgerical organizations, including the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons, and as first vice president of the World Federation of Neurological Societies.

Other research accomplishments include pioneering work in somatosensory-evoked potentials - a vital intraoperative monitoring modality now used in countless surgical procedures. He also developed the currently preferred technique (trans-thoracic) for surgical relief of spinal compression secondary to ruptured disc, and he was instrumental in clinical trials leading to the first effective medical therapy for spinal trauma. To support these activities, Dr. Perot was awarded one of the largest and longest running program project grants in the field, a 19-year series of awards totaling in excess of $12 million.

With a special interest in spinal cord injuries, he published many papers on the neurosurgery of trauma, with an emphasis on spinal cord injuries and pathology of cord damage. He also served for 18 years as the principal investigator of Acute Spinal Cord Injury Research Center funded by National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke.

Under Dr. Perot's leadership, the Department of Neurological Surgery received national acclaim, earning recognition from U.S. News & World Report in 1997 as one of the top such programs in the U.S.

In 2007, to honor Dr. Perot for his many achievements and to promote continued growth and discovery in the field of neurological surgery, the Medical University of South Carolina has successfully secured full funding for the Perot Endowed Chair for Spinal Cord Injury.

While never fully retiring from his dedication to neurological studies, Dr. Perot enjoyed many endeavors, including: fly fishing, traveling, hunting and entertaining. Dr. Perot is survived by his wife, Sandra Scoggins Perot, two daughters, Deirdre Perot Lightsey and Vanessa Perot Gilbert, and two sons, Pascal Francis Perot and Christopher Wallace Perot. He is further survived by his grandchildren: Taylor Jones, Christopher Perot Jr., James Gilbert, Charles Gilbert and Georgia Gilbert, other relatives and many friends. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his son, Phanor Leonidas "Lee" Perot III.

Sandra Perot and the Perot family will be receiving family and friends at her home located at 31 Wentworth Street, Charleston S.C., on Saturday, February 5th, 2011, from 2 to 5 p.m. A celebration of Phanor's life is being planned and more information will be forthcoming as soon as it is available.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the MUSC Foundation in support of the Dr. Phanor Perot Endowed Chair in the Spinal Cord Injury Research, MUSC Foundation, 18 Bee Street, MSC 450, Charleston, SC 29425.

Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc., Downtown Chapel.

A memorial message may be written to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com.