Historical aspects of intracranial videoendoscopy

The first decade of the last century remained in the annals of neurosurgery as the period of the birth of endoscopic neurosurgery. In 1909, E. Doyen developed a method of endoscopic access and transection of the trigeminal nerve root in trigeminal neuralgia, and in 1910 V. L. Lespinasse performed the first endoscopic operation on the choroid plexuses of the lateral ventricles in hydrocephalus (Davis L., 1936). In the initial period of the development of neuroendoscopy, technically imperfect, rigid endoscopes of large sizes, with poor illumination and a limited field of view did not provide reliable intracranial stereotopographic orientation, and the examination procedure lasted up to 3 hours or more (Fay T., Grant F.C., 1923). One of the earliest neuroendoscopic techniques was ventriculoscopy, used in internal hydrocephalus for the purpose of coagulation of the villous plexuses and perforation of the bottom of the third ventricle (Mixter M.J., 1923).