December 2024 Issue of Neurosurgical Focus: “Robotics in the Neurosurgical Operating Room”

Rolling Meadows, IL (December 1, 2024). The December issue of Neurosurgical Focus (Vol. 57, No. 6) offers fifteen articles on the topic of robotics in neurosurgery.   

Topic Editors: Peter Vajkoczy, Katharine Drummond, Roger Hartl, Vasileios Kokkinos, Francisco A. Ponce, and Nicolas Sampron 

From the Topic Editors’ Introduction: “This issue of Neurosurgical Focus delves into the critical role that robotics plays in modern neurosurgery, exploring innovations, challenges, and future directions of robotic technology in neurosurgical ORs…. The articles presented in this issue highlight the profound implications of robotics for neurosurgical practice. Robotic systems are not merely tools: they represent a paradigm shift in neurosurgical conceptualization and operative performance.” 

Contents of the December issue: 

• “Introduction. Robotics in the neurosurgical operating room” by Peter Vajkoczy et al.
• “Integration of a lightweight and table-mounted robotic alignment tool with automated patient-to-image registration using robotic cone-beam CT for intracranial biopsies and stereotactic electroencephalography” by Peter Truckenmueller et al.
• “The safety, accuracy, and feasibility of robotic assistance in neuro-oncological surgery” by Muhammet Enes Gurses et al.
• “Neuro-oncology application of next-generation, optically tracked robotic stereotaxis with intraoperative computed tomography: a pilot experience” by Carlin Chuck et al.
• “Feasibility of robotic posterior fossa skull base surgery” by Min Ho Lee et al.
• “Design and use of assistant robotic arm in endoscopic transnasal surgery” by Anıl Ergen et al.
• “Design, fabrication, and testing of a new soft-pouch robot with 6 degrees of freedom to expand the reach of open and endonasal skull base approaches” by Yifan You et al.
• “Robot-assisted stylomastoid foramen puncture and radiofrequency ablation for hemifacial spasm treatment: clinical outcomes and technique assessment” by Qiangqiang Liu et al.
• “Microvascular decompression in trigeminal neuralgia using a robot-assisted exoscope and head-mounted display” by Zefferino Rossini et al.
• “Robotic carotid artery stenting: a multicenter, propensity score–matched analysis of clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness” by Shray A. Patel et al.
• “Irradiation safety, anesthesia time, surgical complications, and patient-reported outcomes in the robotic Mazor X versus fluoroscopy guided minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion surgery: a comparative cohort study” by Daniel W. Griepp et al.
• “Comparison between robot-assisted and navigation-guided minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion: a multicenter study” by Dennis Chen Heath et al.
• “Accuracy of cervical pedicle screw placement with a robotic guidance system via the open midline approach” by Yuki Yamamoto et al.
• “Limitations of current robot-assisted pedicle screw insertion systems” by Caitlyn Wandvik et al.
• “Predictors of cost of admission for robot-assisted pedicle screw placement” by Patrick Kramer et al.
• “Accuracy and safety evaluation of a novel artificial intelligence–based robotic system for autonomous spinal posterior decompression” by Chengxia Wang et al.

Please join us in reading this month’s issue of Neurosurgical Focus.

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Embargoed Article Access and Author/Expert Interviews: Contact JNSPG Director of Publications Gillian Shasby at [email protected] for advance access and to arrange interviews with the authors and external experts who can provide context for this research.

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The global leader for cutting-edge neurosurgery research since 1944, the Journal of Neurosurgery (www.thejns.org) is the official journal of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) representing over 12,000 members worldwide (www.AANS.org).