Neurosurgery and artificial intelligence

Abstract

Neurosurgeons receive extensive and lengthy training to equip themselves with various technical skills, and neurosurgery require a great deal of pre-, intra- and postoperative clinical data collection, decision making, care and recovery. The last decade has seen a significant increase in the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in neurosurgery. AI can provide a great promise in neurosurgery by complementing neurosurgeons' skills to provide the best possible interventional and noninterventional care for patients by enhancing diagnostic and prognostic outcomes in clinical treatment and help neurosurgeons with decision making during surgical interventions to improve patient outcomes. Furthermore, AI is playing a pivotal role in the production, processing and storage of clinical and experimental data. AI usage in neurosurgery can also reduce the costs associated with surgical care and provide high-quality healthcare to a broader population. Additionally, AI and neurosurgery can build a symbiotic relationship where AI helps to push the boundaries of neurosurgery, and neurosurgery can help AI to develop better and more robust algorithms. This review explores the role of AI in interventional and noninterventional aspects of neurosurgery during pre-, intra- and postoperative care, such as diagnosis, clinical decision making, surgical operation, prognosis, data acquisition, and research within the neurosurgical arena.