Robotic surgery in neurosurgical field

Computer-aided surgery commenced in the late 1980s when computer was clinically used for diagnosis and surgical planning. Since then the computer has been used in a surgical navigation system. In the early 1990s a robotic surgery using intelligent manipulator as surgeon's new hands took place. Nowadays intraoperative diagnostic imaging as surgeon's new eyes has become ubiquitous Diagnosis, surgical planning, and navigation are required to be real-timely performed intraoperatively. The time has really come to concurrently diagnose and treat, in which technology visualizing intraoperative medical information and minimally invasive surgery are fused. For that it is necessary to develop a system that real-timely updates information for decision making, and at the same time to present the timely, optimum treatment to be done according to the results of instant evaluation of ongoing treatment. To realize and support above system it is essential to combine a sensor which can precisely distinguishes a focal area from a normal tissue intraoperatively, and a manipulator which participates the treatment. In addition, the manipulator should be accurately controlled using a computer (computer-aided manipulation) according to the surgical plan made by a method aided by a computer (computer-aided design) based on intraoperatively acquired information. It is about to change quality of life to quality of treatment.