Introduction - Microsurgery: Advances, Simulations, and Applications - page 2

of healthy tissue surrounding the area to be treated. Minimally
invasive procedures exist in ields of gastroenterology [10-11],
pneumology [12], neurology [1-3], cardiology [13], ophthalmology
[14], and urology [15], among others. MIS is usually more complex
than conventional surgery techniques because the physicians do
not have direct contact to the area to be treated, as in natural oriice
trans-luminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), guided needle insertion,
laparoscopic surgery and intravascular intervention.

1.1.1 Endovascular Surgery

Endovascular surgery appeared as the solution for the treatment
of vascular diseases such as stenosis and aneurysms, providing an
alternative treatment method in cardiology and neurology. In those
surgeries, a catheter of few millimeter of diameter is introduced
from a blood vessel of the leg or arm to the diseased region of the
vasculature. As seen in Figs. 1.1-1.4, during an endovascular surgery
the catheter is seen using a luoroscope, exposing physicians and
patients to X-rays [16]. With the two-dimensional image, the
surgeon has to drive the catheter through the complex structure
of vasculature to reach the target, avoiding puncture in the blood
vessel wall.

Figure 1.1 Fluoroscopic images of human cerebral arteries structure

obtained with digital subtraction angiography.

1.1.1.1 Neuro-endovascular treatments
In this section, we will provide a summarized explanation of Neuro-
endovascular treatments. These treatments will be explained in detail