Transcranial access using fluoroscopic flat panel detector CT navigation.

FPCT and navigation software on contemporary fluoroscopic units perform imaging of a quality comparable with conventional CT. They can accurately guide percutaneous procedures, providing live instrument visualization and the capability to re-image without patient transfer. FPCT navigation was used in the placement of a ventricular drain in a 62-year-old woman for subarachnoid-related hydrocephalus by using an otherwise standard bedside technique. Ventriculostomy catheter placement was technically successful without complication with a catheter at the foramen of Monro.