Neuronavigation

Neuronavigation is a computer-assisted surgical guidance technology, often compared to a GPS for the brain. It allows the neurosurgeon to navigate the patient's anatomy in real time with millimetric precision, by superimposing the position of the instruments onto the MRI or CT images taken before the operation. In practice, the patient's pre-operative images are loaded into the neuronavigation system and then matched to the actual position of the head in the operating room. Throughout the operation, the surgeon sees on a screen the exact position of the instruments relative to the lesion and to the functional areas to be preserved. The benefits are tangible: smaller and perfectly centered cranial openings, more direct access to the lesion, greater protection of the sensitive areas of the brain and, overall, more precise and safer operations. Neuronavigation is particularly valuable for deep tumors, small lesions and surgery in functional areas. At Clinique Pasteur Tunis, the neurosurgery department has a neuronavigation system coupled with high-resolution pre-operative MRI, used routinely for cranial surgery, directly benefiting patient safety.