Technological innovation in neurosurgery: a quantitative study.

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Biomedical Engineering
• Health Technology Assessment

Background:

• Neurosurgery is a field heavily reliant on technological advancements.
• New technologies often drive significant changes in neurosurgical clinical practice.
• Quantifying technological innovation is crucial for understanding field progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively evaluate technological innovation in neurosurgery.
• To use patent and publication data as metrics for technology development and clinical translation.
• To identify key areas of technological expansion within the neurosurgery field.

Main Methods:

• Searched patent databases from 1960-2010 for neurosurgery-related terms.
• Grouped top-performing patent codes into technology clusters.
• Generated growth curves for patents and publications within these clusters.

Main Results:

• Identified 11,672 patents and 208,203 publications related to neurosurgery.
• Top technology clusters include image-guidance, neuromodulation, and operating microscopes.
• Found strong correlations between patent and publication growth for image-guidance and neuromodulation devices, indicating expansion.

Conclusions:

• Patent and publication metrics provide a quantitative method for assessing neurosurgical technological innovation.
• Image-guidance and neuromodulation represent dynamic areas of technological development in neurosurgery.
• Deep brain stimulation is a significant area within neuromodulation device innovation.