The operative microscope in clinical neurosurgery

In the field of neurosurgery, the introduction of the operating microscope has revolutionized clinical practice by increasing the amount of detail which the surgeon may seen and by improving the illumination of the immediate operative area. It has forced the development of new techniques and instruments compatible with magnification, altered the structure of neurosurgical training programs and improved the results of many formerly forbidding procedures. It has made some operations practical for the first time and radically changed the indications for others. It is the purpose of this communication to provide an overview of some of the most important neurological conditions in which the microscope has altered preferred treatment.