Neurosurgeons normally operate in a tiny field that is about the size of a quarter.
But this new technique, called image fusion, lets doctors see the surgical field better than they could before, which should mean safer surgery for patients. In cases where surgeons try to correct hemifacial spasms with surgery, which is a delicate procedure, the only way to see around certain lobes or part of the lobe of the brain or underneath structures is to pull them aside. To make sure they don't damage them, neurosurgeons use a combination microscope and endoscope with image fusion. They are fused together into one viewing position, and then surgeons operate using either image, enabling them to reach around corners that they normally couldn't see without traumatizing the brain. One doctor said that using image fusion is like driving a car and being able to see all the different angles with side and rear-view mirrors.