Computer‐assisted surgery: Historical remarks

Very early in my training as an ENT specialist I was confronted with a neurosurgical stereotactic atlas. This was one of the events that led in 1974 to the construction of a radiographic centimeter scale that was held between the patient’s teeth during a lateral roentgenogram. The device enables the determination of exact distances between various anatomical points. Those were effectively the first navigational calculations, but there were several other prerequisites for the development of computer-assisted surgery (CAS). It was soon found that specialists from a number of fields were needed, including neurosurgeons, maxillofacial surgeons, computer specialists, engineers, electrotechnicians, and even an architect! With their help it was possible to establish connections to other institutes and faculties, as well as to industrial partners. An example of such a specialist is Ralf Mos