Microsurgery

Microsurgery describes an array of procedures for which surgeons use a high-powered operating microscope and specialized instruments to operate on small or delicate structures in the brain.

Historically, brain surgery required large skin incisions and bone openings to let the neurosurgeon view the brain and locate the relevant lesion. Some conditions simply could not be treated because the neurosurgeon could not adequately see all the delicate structures within the skull.

The solution came in the form of high-powered operating microscopes, which produce bright light and greatly magnify the surgical area—including thin nerves and tiny blood vessels. Most operating microscopes also display a high-resolution image on a monitor visible to the surgical team.

Microsurgical techniques enable our neurosurgeons to navigate with tremendous precision around the finest nerve endings and blood vessels to repair or remove a brain abnormality. Surgeons can also use the operating microscope during an operation to examine the brain for residual tumor, an incomplete blood vessel repair, or another circumstance that requires attention.

Microsurgery has ultimately allowed neurosurgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures, which offer patients smaller incisions, fewer complications, and faster recoveries.