Medical Technologies in Neurosurgery

Christopher Nimsky, Rudolf Fahlbusch9783211333020, 3211333029

Ethical considerations regarding applications of technologies are becoming increasingly more important. This as well as varying religious viewpoints concerning this topic are discussed. A general overview on the current state of medical technologies is followed by an example of a typical image processing problem. The next section focuses on robotics applications, i.e. using mechatronic assisting systems in neurosurgical operating rooms. A comprehensive overview on progress in intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging using four different setups with different magnetic designs and field strengths ranging from 0.3 to 3 T exemplifies recent developments in neurosurgery. This Acta Neurochirurgica supplement distills the Joint Convention of the Academia Eurasiana Neurochirurgica and the German Academy of Neurosurgery held in Bamberg, Germany from Sept. 1-3, 2005. The main focus was “Medical Technologies for Neurosurgery” and included imaging, image processing, robotics, workflow analysis, and ethics.