Historic Use of Stereotaxy
Historically, the introduction of stereotactic surgery has been an important addition to the armamentarium of human neurosurgical techniques. This is evident by its success in the treatment of many neurological disorders. The stereotactic technique has expanded from its earlier use, primarily in the treatment of dyskinesias and pain disorders, to include the treatment of seizure disorders, aneurysms, brain tumors and many other neuropathological conditions. In recent years there has been a significant increase in the number of and use of stereotactic techniques. This increase has been brought about by the development of new imaging techniques, e.g., computerized axial tomography, nuclear magnetic resonance scanning, various radioisotope scanning techniques, and digital subtraction angiography.
These imaging techniques provide the surgeon with a method of "seeing" certain brain structures and can be used to aid the surgeon in planning stereotactic procedures. The CASS System has been developed as a powerful visual aid and planning tool for stereotactic surgery