Abstract
ObjectiveNeurosurgeons have taken on the role of innovators, continuing to move the field forward over the centuries. More recently, innovation has taken the form of new technological devices and therapeutics, which require patenting. The aim of this study is to identify major areas of innovation in the field of neurosurgery by evaluating patent records.MethodsThis study quantifies the number of patents the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) neurosurgeons hold across different subspecialties. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) patent database was queried using the names of 7,293 AANS members who filed patents between 1976 and 2019.ResultsA total of 346 (4.7%) AANS neurosurgeons hold a total of 1,025 patents. The number of patents held by each neurosurgeon ranged from one to 109. The areas that patents were filed under include cellular and genetic science (40), drug delivery (45), image guidance (82), neuromodulation (52), pain (7), peripheral nerve stimulation (24), spine (398), surgical devices (148), trauma (16), tumor (78), vascular (67), and other (68). No patents were filed under pediatrics (0). The fields with the greatest number of filed patents are spine, instruments/devices, and image guidance.ConclusionGiven the technical nature of the field of neurosurgery, instruments and devices that improve localization, visualization, targeting, and spinal reconstruction are often in demand. Furthermore, since the rates of spinal procedures and implants continue to increase, higher patenting may be motivated by the opportunity to develop new products that can result in royalty payments to neurosurgeons. The advent of new technologies undoubtedly continues to push the field of neurosurgery forward.
Highlights
Over the last several decades, neurosurgeon-led innovations have resulted in the development of new therapeutics, imaging modalities, instrumentation, and devices that benefit patient treatment
This study quantifies the number of patents the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) neurosurgeons hold across different subspecialties
A total of 346 (4.7%) AANS neurosurgeons hold a total of 1,025 patents
Summary
Over the last several decades, neurosurgeon-led innovations have resulted in the development of new therapeutics, imaging modalities, instrumentation, and devices that benefit patient treatment. In the United States, the top three subspecialty areas in which patents are held include spine, tumor, and stereotaxy/image-guidance [2]. In the field of brain tumors, patents include novel methods of diagnosis/intraoperative detection, intracavitary drug treatments, and vaccine therapies [5,6,7]. The development of image-guided stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) with the introduction of the Gamma Knife (Electa, Stockholm, Sweden) and CyberKnife (Accuray Incorporated, Sunnyvale, California) have provided targeting of cranial and spinal lesions with greater precision and accuracy than standard external beam radiation therapy with excellent long-term results [8,9].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
