Microsurgery with the Steiner-Lindquist stereotaxic guide.

The Steiner-Lindquist microsurgical stereotaxic guide was used for operations for intra-axial lesions in 15 patients. The lesions were identified by stereotaxic CT or MRI and stereotactic co-ordinates were then calculated and set for the guiding laser beam. The beam was used for planning the craniotomy and its path followed during the microsurgical dissection, until the lesion was reached. Seven lesions were situated in eloquent areas of the brain and could not have been safely attacked without the aid of stereotaxic localization. Five of these and two other lesions were quite small, and would have been difficult to find without jeopardizing normal brain structures. For the remaining lesions the stereotaxic laser guide was facilitatory, but not indispensible. Radical removal was achieved in 11 of the 15 lesions. The Steiner-Lindquist microsurgical guide incorporates the freedom of standard microsurgical techniques with the safety of operating in a stereotaxically defined space.