title: Imaging techniques and computers.
abstract: Imaging technology has been the pacesetter of stereotactic technique since its introduction in clinical practice. Quite recently, the extraordinary quality of diagnostic neuroimages and the growing availability of computing power has widened the field of applications of stereotaxy suggesting, at the same time, substantial evolution of its instrumentation. Fusion of multimodal digital images, integration of morphological and functional data, and dimensional rendering techniques have become powerful 'navigational aids' for tissue sampling, functional procedures and image-guided endoscopic surgery. Radiosurgical dose planning systems integrated with image processing and computer graphics routines allow efficient interactive evaluation of tissue-dose volumes superimposition in brachytherapy and external beam focused irradiation. Volumetric guided open surgery, assisted by intraoperative acquisition of stereotactic echographic and microscopic images, allows satisfactory treatment of deep-seated cerebral lesions. Further improvement is to be expected with the implementation of the ongoing development of localizing solutions totally integrated with the microsurgical instrumentation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurosurgery, Istituto Nazionale Neurologic C. Besta, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giorgi
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000601:surgery*; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D016634:Radiosurgery; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques