Day: August 2, 2015

Authors: Charles Teo, MBBS, and Michael E. Sughrue, MD Publisher: Thieme  – 253 pages, with 1,041 illustrations Book Review by: Nano Khilnani The term keyhole as used in keyhole brain surgery does not mean just a small opening with limited access and field of view. It refers to seeing an entire room through a keyhole in the door to that room using multiple angles of visualization (and even magnification) without the need to remove the door from its hinges, the authors explain. It is true that large openings enable neurosurgeons to access delicate structures more easily, but larger exposures do mean greater risk to the patient. The trend in recent years has been smaller openings. The development of anesthetic agents that reduce intracranial pressure has made keyhole brain surgeries easier to perform. And these are some of the technological advances in the past few years so that have enabled surgeons to work with smaller openings: Better visualization Improved light delivery More sophisticated instrumentation Many types of minimally invasive surgical procedures on the brain are now possible, as you can discover yourself by watching the videos on the website we mention beneath this list of 16 chapters of this book. Within the pages where the content is laid out, you can also view full-color photos of the various approaches and detailed sketches of the operations on the brain. An Introduction...