Navigation-guided fence-post tube technique for resection of a brain tumor: technical note.
BACKGROUND
A new technique using a navigation system to minimize the influence of brain shift and to perform precise resection of brain tumors is demonstrated. To determine the resection plane, one to six tubes were inserted around the tumor under the guidance of a navigation system before dural incision.


RESULTS
This technique termed the "navigation-guided fence-post tube" (NGFP) procedure was used to treat 34 patients with intraaxial brain tumors including gliomas (23 cases), malignant lymphomas (4 cases) and metastatic tumors (7 cases). Tumors were removed totally in 23 cases (67.6%), subtotally (95% or more removal) in 6 cases (17.6%) and partially (less than 95% removal) in 5 cases (14.7%). The cases with subtotal or partial resection contained tumors that were close to or involved the eloquent area, or disseminated lesions. No complications due to tube insertion occurred.


CONCLUSIONS
NGFP is a useful and safe technique for brain tumor surgery with no influence of brain shift during tumor resection.
Department of Neurosurgery, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, Yamaguchi, Japan. koji@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp
K
K
Kajiwara
K
K
Yoshikawa
M
M
Ideguchi
S
S
Nomura
H
H
Fujisawa
T
T
Akimura
S
S
Kato
M
M
Fujii
M
M
Suzuki
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005910:Glioma / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D038361:Neuronavigation / Q000379:methods*