What  is  Minimally  Invasive  Neurosurgery?

Brain surgery dates back to over a century ago, when conventional surgery always left a large surgical wound due partly to the size of surgical instrument and the need of sufficient light over the operated area. At the time, the surgery results were unsatisfactory. And it was not until 50 years ago that a magnifying “microscope” was introduced in surgical operations. This microscope’s high magnification and the beam penetrating deep inside the opened area yielded more details of the area to be operated, leading to safer surgery.

Also, the medical advancement led to tiny medical equipments and thus to smaller (though not much smaller) surgical wounds, constituting the foundation for “Microsurgery” as it is so called nowadays. Nonetheless, the surgery that results in small surgical wounds but retains satisfactory results was still longed for by many surgeons until over 10 years ago.

At that time, a small group of surgeons with exceptional skills in microsurgery could successfully perform brain surgery through miniature surgical wounds to treat such disorders as tumors, blood vessels disorders. This type of surgery, called “key Hole Surgery”, later became the beginning of the Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIN). And it was not until 1993 when the First International Congress of MIN was held with the initiation of Prof. Axel Perneczky, the Director of neurosurgical Department, University of Mainz, Germany.

Since then, the MIN has become widespread around the world. With the contributions of medical advancement, computer and other technologies, a wide variety of medical equipments are invented to ensure better and safer surgery. These instruments include, but are not limited to, Neuronavigator (an instrument that shows any location of a patient’s brain), Endoscope (a small tube with a lens at one end to provide lighting and visualization) as well as Ultrasonic aspiration (a device used to remove tumors).

Consequently, today’s brain surgery needs not only physician’s skills and experience but modern equipments so as to yield the safest result. Furthermore, the surgical pattern has changed as the surgical wounds become much smaller than ever (some patients need not shave their heads). Smaller wounds also result in less post-surgery pain and quicker recovery.

Cerebropathy sometimes needs surgery. However, any surgery will more or less affect tissues in operated areas and their vicinity. This is why brain surgery requires a particular attention to cause as little effect on or injury to the brain tissues as possible. The surgery begins with making an opening in a patient’s skull as small as necessary. Then, to make possible the operation through that small opening, modern instruments are needed such as microscope or endoscope, with its lighting and high-magnifying lens providing visualization through the wound. Owing to these surgical equipments, brain surgery nowadays gives a better result.