Effective Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery has grown in demand over the years and it hasn’t been without advancements in technology. As technology for neurosurgery improves, neurosurgeons can treat more people who need urgent or complicated surgery more effectively. Even though neurosurgery is constantly evolving, it’s important to consider the most recent advances in neurosurgery technology and how they have helped to create a safer and more effective surgery for patients.
Frameless Stereotaxyne
The frameless stereotaxy was arguably the most significant change to the neurosurgery practice. This piece of equipment is important for neurosurgeons for its ability to precisely indicate where the neurosurgeon is, especially in high risk areas within the skull and brain. Complex surgeries are now much easier as the neurosurgeon is more much capable, informed, and confident. Neurosurgeons are hoping to be able to use frameless stereotaxy in more applications than just neurosurgery and aim to expand the technology into spinal surgery.
Interventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
The interventional MRI is another alternative for neurosurgeons to see what they are doing amidst neurosurgery. In a traditional MRI scanner, there is a long tube that a patient must lie in. This can cause claustrophobia in some and can take many minutes to complete a full scan. The interventional MRI scanner, on the other hand, is far more versatile by allowing patients to lie, sit, or stand during the scanning. Interventional MRI scans take considerably less time, as quick as a few seconds. In some locations and neurosurgery practices, a neurosurgeon is capable of performing a surgery while the patient is inside the interventional MRI and can get imaging feedback almost instantaneously.
Refinement of Existing Equipment
Not every piece of technology that advances has to be brand new. In many industries, technological advancement comes simply from the development and expansion of existing technology. This makes tools, equipment, and practices less costly, less risky, and far more effective than their predecessors. This also means that neurosurgeons won’t typically need to spend time relearning the equipment and can perform more accurate surgeries sooner than if they had to become accustomed to using a brand new piece of technology.
3-Dimensional Reconstruction
For many neurosurgeons, the ability to operate within three dimensions, rather than only two, has helped to make surgeries safer, more accurate, and more effective. This system creates a hologram model of the brain and then merges this imaging along with the patient’s head to be used as a guide for any surgical resection.This advancement has become invaluable for treating patients where an issue is located around especially sensitive areas within the brain.
Dr. Bidiwala of Texas Minimally Invasive Spine has been performing neurosurgery for over a decade using minimally invasive technologies for spinal decompression and fusion operations. Minimally invasive technologies are a type of neurosurgery that focuses on approaching the spine and sensitive areas exclusively through natural tissue planes with limited disruption of muscles. This results in shorter stays at the hospital and significantly improves recovery times.