Neuronavigation surgery in China: reality and prospects.

OBJECTIVE To review the history, development, and reality of neuronavigation surgery in China and to discuss the future of neuronavigation surgery. DATA SOURCES PubMed, the China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database, and the VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals were searched for papers published from 1995 to the present with the key words "neuronavigation," functional navigation,"" "image-guided," and "stereotaxy." Articles were reviewed for additional citations, and some information was gathered from Web searches. STUDY SELECTION Articles related to neuronavigation surgery in China were selected, with special attention to application to brain tumors. RESULTS Since the introduction of neurosurgical navigation to China in 1997, this core technique in minimally invasive neurosurgery has seen rapid development. This development has ranged from brain structural localization to functional brain mapping, from static digital models of the brain to dynamic brain-shift compensation models, and from preoperative image-guided surgery to intraoperative real-time image-guided surgery, and from application of imported equipment and technology to use of equipment and technology that possess Chinese independent intellectual property rights. CONCLUSIONS The development and application of neuronavigation techniques have made neurological surgeries in China more safe, precise and effective, and less invasive, and promoted the quality of Chinese neurosurgical practice to the rank of the most advance and excellence in the world.