Intraoperative Imaging and navigation for Minimally Invasive Spinal Tumor Surgery: Case Series and Literature Review

C intraoperative navigation has evolved to become an integral part of spinal surgery (5,38,43). By rendering multiplanar three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction in real-time, modern navigation techniques provide instant visualization of complex spinal anatomy and allow tracking of various surgical instruments within the operative field. Multiple studies have shown that navigation enhances the safety and accuracy of various spinal procedures in both the laboratory and clinical setting (6,9,14,25,27,56). It is especially useful for complex revision cases and minimally-invasive surgeries in which common anatomical landmarks are unrecognizable or no longer visible.