Technological advances in neurosurgery, aided by improvements in anesthesia have resulted in surgery that is faster, simpler and safer with excellent perioperative recovery. As a result of improved outcomes, several centers are performing certain neurosurgical procedures on an outpatient basis; where patients arrive at the hospital the morning of their procedure and leave the hospital the same evening, thus avoiding an overnight stay in the hospital. Apart from the medical benefits of the outpatient procedure, its impact on patient satisfaction is substantial. The economic benefits are extremely favorable for the patient, physician, as well as the hospital. However, due to skepticism surrounding medico-legal aspects, and how radical the concept at first sounds, these procedures have not gained widespread popularity. We provide an overview of outpatient neurosurgery discussing results, outcomes related to patients' quality of life, and impact on the economic burden on currently burgeoning health care costs.
Keywords: aneurysm; awake craniotomy; brain biopsy; brain tumor; cervical discectomy; day surgery; fusion; laminectomy; lumbar discectomy; outpatient neurosurgery.