Introduction and History of Robotics in Neurosurgery

Abstract

Robotic neurosurgery is a novel and continually evolving field that has complemented the surgeon’s armamentarium since the 1980s. Medical robotics has driven a paradigm shift in the practice, technique, and art of neurosurgery by facilitating minimally invasive approaches and endowing neurosurgeons with increased dexterity, geometrical accuracy, and operative efficiency. This technology has also introduced its own set of technical challenges and inherent risks. The first application of robotic technology began in stereotactic surgery, enabling interventions to be more accurate and precise. Robotic devices have infiltrated other neurosurgical domains, including microneurosurgery. With increased versatility, along with the multiple degrees of freedom and tremor-free movements that only robots can offer, neurosurgery has entered a new era. The further addition of virtual telepresence technology to robotic tools offers the promise of delivering expertise and education in neurosurgical care to remote, underserved regions.