A new technique in brain surgery called the minimally invasive neurosurgery has developed recently in India and popularily practised abroad in countries like Gremany, France, United States and England in which complicated operations of the brain which earlier involved opening of the skull and an open surgery of the brain entailing hospitalisation for many days and a risk of life, have now become simpler.

In this process, a small incision or cut is made into the skull with the help of sophisticated instruments and modern endoscopic techniques instead of going through the entire process of opening the skull in an open surgery of the brain.

Open surgery of the brain is quite a complicated and risky process and doctors usually try to avoid it as during this process, sometimes, some sensory nerve or a nerve cell (neuron) may get damaged.

Hence, the above, new technique has been developed and this has emerged as quite a convincing alternative to the open surgery of the brain, according to Professor M R Gaub from Germany, one of the eminent neurosurgeons of the world who visited the first two-day neuroendoscopy workshop held at St.Stephen's hospital, New Delhi on May 16 and 17.

This live neuroendoscopy worshop was aimed to popularise the above new technique of neurosurgery and make it known to the doctors far and wide as well as to the whole world. The seminar involved one day of exhaustive lectures and discussions, hands-on cadaveric dissection and another day of live neuroendoscopic surgery.

This new technique in brain surgery is available in most of the premier hospitals of the country such as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Apollo in Delhi, Vellore in Madras, etc. Prof Gaub ensured the efficiency of this therapy ie the minimally invasive neurosurgery in the treatment of brain diseases by using specially developed surgical sheaths with large instrument channels and also special suction channels.

In this new technique, there is a minimum usage of surgical instruments according to Dr Gaub and since the skull is not opened totally as in the open surgery of the brain, the cost is comparitively much less.

An open surgery of the brain in India costs more than Rs 1 lakh and if there are certain complications, then in hospitals such as Vellore, it is a huge expenditure where as in the above new technique (minimally invasive neurosurgery), doctors can pereform complicated operations of the brain to treat serious brain disorders and nerve problems by just making a small incision or cut on the skull and it is cheaper too.

The technique involves specially developed surgical sheaths and special suction or irrigational channels which are used to treat any disorder in the nerve or nerve cell (neuron). These surgical sheaths or specially developed suction channels are inserted into the skull through the small incision or cut and the particular disorder or defect in the nerve cell or neuron is treated.