Neuroendoscopic procedures: anesthetic considerations for a growing trend: a review.

The recent trend in neurosurgery is shifting toward further reduction in invasiveness to minimize trauma to the brain. Endoscopy holds the promise of shortened hospital stay with improved postoperative outcome. An important minimally invasive technique is neuroendoscopy. The ventricular system and subarachnoid space of the brain provide suitable conditions for the use of an endoscope. The currently available literature focuses only on recent advances in neuroendoscopy from the surgical perspective. To date, there is paucity of anesthetic literature emphasizing the implications for this growing trend. The surgical technique, instrumentation, anesthetic requirements, potential pitfalls and complications of this technique must be completely understood to ensure a successful outcome. The purpose of this review is to provide knowledge of indications, instrumentation, and anesthetic considerations in anticipation of complications steming from this procedure.