Neuronavigation Applied to Piezosurgery: Toward Robotic Image-Aided Craniotomy? A Technical Note

Although simple in its concept, craniotomy can still cause serious consequences to the patient. A recent alternative to standard techniques (i.e., perforator and craniotome) is represented by piezosurgery (PS), which exploits a microvibration-emitting blade that cuts the bone directly from the outer surface of the skull. Although PS has been demonstrated to decrease complications, dural lacerations and neurovascular injuries are still possible from inadvertent penetration of the inner tabula. Modern neuronavigation systems can provide the surgeon with the possibility to track the instrument while carving the skull, thus potentially lowering the complication rates.Two cases of miniretromastoid craniotomy for trigeminal neuralgia were performed using neuronavigated PS. Before surgery, the patients underwent volumetric brain magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. The piezosurgical cutter was registered on the S8 StealthStation neuronavigation system (Medtronic, Dublin, Ireland) using the step-by-step cranial standard instrument calibration protocol.The craniotomy was performed with the surgeon using the neuronavigation monitor to visualize both the position and the trajectory of the instrument's blade while penetrating the bone. No dural lacerations or neurovascular injuries were reported. At the end of the procedure, the bone flaps were perfectly repositioned within their craniotomy margins without the use of cranial fixation devices.Neuronavigated PS has the potential to decrease craniotomy-related complication rates. By allowing for real-time visualization of the blade's level of penetration, it provides the surgeon with the ability to halt progression when needed, avoiding dural lacerations and neurovascular injuries. The principles behind this technique could anticipate the advent of robotic-image aided craniotomy.