ABSTRACT
The authors describe their experience with the CANS navigator, which has been in use since January 1997. The device uses magnetic field modulation technology for intraoperative localization: using a built-in scanner, a preoperative image with fiducial markers is input to a computer, and intraoperative localization uses a suctiontube integrated probe. During the previous ten months, we have used the device to perform surgery in 60 cases of brain lesion, mostly tumors. In five early cases, precise intraoperative localization was not successful, probably due to error in image input or registration, but after 2 months, there were only two failures, and for surgery, the device was very helpful: it was useful in the dessign of scalp incisionand bone flap, and for assessing the extent of resection in tumors, especially in cases in which surrounding brain tissue was poorly demarcated. It was also helpful in skull base surgery, in which precise localization of the work area is critical. The CANS navigator uses a magnetic field for localization, but except for the skull clamp, there was no problem in using metallic surgical instruments: there was no interference with laser, CUSA, or monitoring devices, and no complication attributable to its use. We suggest that for neurosurgery, the CANS navigator is a useful device: it is helpful for performing minimally invasive surgery.