Computer-Assisted Brain Surgery

Overview

In computer-assisted brain surgery, your Mayo Clinic treatment team uses imaging technologies, such as MR (magnetic resonance), CT (computerized tomography) and PET (positron emission tomography) scans, to create a 3-D model of your brain. This model allows your brain surgeon (neurosurgeon) to plan the safest way to treat your condition. During your surgery, the computer system precisely guides your surgeon to the area(s) of your brain requiring treatment.

If you have a brain tumor, your surgeon may combine computer-assisted surgery with awake brain surgery. If you have epilepsy, the computer-assisted surgery may involve deep brain stimulation.

Mayo Clinic neurosurgeons use computer-assisted techniques to treat brain tumors and other lesions with precisely focused beams of radiation using stereotactic radiosurgery.

Why choose Mayo Clinic

• Experience. Mayo Clinic neurosurgeons have performed computer-assisted brain surgery on thousands of people.
• Expertise. Mayo Clinic neurosurgeons and computer experts introduced computer-assisted brain surgery more than 20 years ago. The technique advanced the treatment of brain tumors, epilepsy and other conditions.
• Team approach. Your treatment team can include brain surgeons (neurosurgeons), doctors trained in brain conditions (neurologists), radiologists, anesthesia specialists, speech specialists, computer engineers, language interpreters and other specialists.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., is ranked among the Best Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery by U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., are ranked high performing for neurology and neurosurgery by U.S. News & World Report.