Principles of microneurosurgery for safe and fast surgery.

Microneurosurgical anatomy and principles of microneurosurgery are the essence of neurosurgical training. Apart from basic theoretical knowledge, a competent neurosurgeon should be trained to be capable of operating in small and often narrow and deep gaps. Their aim should be to perform minimally invasive procedures in almost bloodless fields. Prof. Yasargil emphasized that profound knowledge of the microneurosurgical anatomy is acquired in cadaveric laboratories, and gentle handling of cerebral arteries and veins is acquired by performing microvascular anastomoses in rats and mice [11]. Both training facilities could be — admittedly with considerable effort — installed in many hospitals to support a variety of microsurgeons. However, cadaveric dissections may be deemed impossible for cultural, religious, economical, or other reasons (Fig. 1).