Vibe Coding in Neurosurgery: Bridging the Gap Between Clinical Needs and Digital Innovation-A Narrative Review and...

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Artificial Intelligence
• Digital Health

Background:

• Artificial intelligence and machine learning are advancing neurosurgery.
• Clinician involvement in developing digital tools is limited by programming barriers.
• Vibe coding, formalized in 2025, uses natural language for software generation, lowering this barrier.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the applications of vibe coding in neurosurgery.
• To address the lack of specialty-specific guidance on vibe coding in neurosurgery.
• To encourage the adoption of vibe coding in neurosurgical practice.

Main Methods:

• A narrative literature review was conducted across PubMed, Google Scholar, and preprint repositories up to April 2026.
• The review was supplemented by the author's clinical experience in developing vibe-coded tools.
• Identified practical domains of application within a tertiary neurosurgical unit.

Main Results:

• Literature on vibe coding in medicine is sparse and limited to non-surgical fields.
• No prior publications specifically address vibe coding in neurosurgery.
• Identified three key application domains: research data collection/classification, clinical workflow optimization, and educational tool development.

Conclusions:

• Vibe coding offers an accessible method for neurosurgical trainees to create custom digital tools without coding expertise.
• There is a need for neurosurgery-specific guidance on implementing vibe coding.
• Vibe coding can serve as a practical supplement to existing digital health infrastructures in neurosurgery.