HealthManagement, Volume 5 / Issue 2 / 2010
200 Surgical Procedures Achieved Using Neuro-Navigation Device
The Torrecárdenas Hospital Complex of Almería in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia has performed over 200 surgical procedures using a neuro-navigation device, an IT equipment which shows in real time three dimensional (3D) images of the brain and/or the spine.
The image obtained through electromagnetic waves makes it possible to have a global view of the patient's brain or spine in 3D. Moreover, it enables the viewing of the zone to be operated from different angles at the same time, thus improving the results of surgical procedures.
The neuro-navigator proves particularly efficient for the removal of brain tumours; it is extremely precise about the zone to be treated, thus reducing risks of affecting the healthy tissues during the surgery. It is as useful in the frame of surgical procedures performed on the spine.
A prior X-ray computed tomography (CT) and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are required before using the neuro-navigator. They allow localising the reference point that will enable the neuro-navigator to show the live 3D image of the relevant zone.
