Innovation in neurosurgery

Excerpt

The paper by Muskens et al. [1] endeavors to evaluate two innovative neurosurgical procedures, the endonasal approach to skull base meningiomas (EEMS) and the WovenEndobridge (WEB device) for endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms, according to the IDEAL recommendations.The IDEAL recommendations are an evolving set of guidelines on how to introduce innovations in surgery and, if widely accepted, may represent a quantum leap improvement in the way surgical innovations are introduced. This is sorely needed to improve patient safety and resource allocations. The IDEAL contribution rests, in addition and concurrently to the structured process it outlines, on ethical approval and informed consent. This diad, together with independent outcome evaluation, tries to place some constraints on potential freewheeling behavior. …