Innovation in Neurosurgery: Integration Between Cutting-Edge Devices and “Old-Fashioned” Surgical Technique

n times of rapid scientific and technological progress, doctors must be able to pursue innovations. However, although clinical decision making can rely on new opportunities, the optimism should be tempered by equally newfangled limits, mainly of economic nature, that can bind medical management. The 3 cornerstones of medical progress are genomics, nanotechnologies, and robotics, the future of which lie in the integration among imaging, digital telemedicine, and artificial intelligence. With the aid of wireless and mobile technologies, the world of digital medicine is growing quickly. In this scenario, the simple control of vital signs no longer needs spatial relationship; the continuous connection between patients and health professionals will allow us to pass from the simple treatment of the disease to maintenance of well-being, and surgeons will be able to remotely guide the care strategy rather than by their hands. Doctors may be able to practice medicine from any distance and in any moment; accordingly, a lot of care could be moved from hospitals to digitally equipped houses. Nanotechnologies will change the way to approach, cure, and replace not only organs but also cells and intracellular structures. These are a few examples of the futuristic technologic evolution in medicine. However, a decisive aspect of the ongoing challenge is to find tools capable of gaining control of progress and its relationship between man and technology.