Abbe performed C6-C8 posterior spinal rhizotomies in two separate procedures, with good results. Just as significantly, during these procedures, Abbe stimulated the nerve roots to determine their functions; this was the first instance of intraoperative localization and stimulation 1).
1)
Abbe, R: A contribution to the surgery of the spine. Neurosurgical Classic XXIII. J Neurosurg 21:820, 1964. Originally published in Medical Record, New York 35:149, 1889.