Computer-assisted craniotomy is a craniotomy that is guided by computers. The computers are used by the surgeon to gather, store, and reformat images from the patient's MRI or CT scan. These are rendered in three dimensional volumetric information that allow definition of an intracranial lesion with respect to the surgical field. Most importantly, this information is displayed to the surgeon intraoperatively and scaled to the actual size and location of the surgical field.
With this technique, a surgeon can plan and simulate the surgical procedure beforehand, and reach deep-seated or centrally located brain tumors employing the safest and least invasive route possible. |
