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Abstract: During the last few years, virtual reality (VR) has been increasingly implemented in

the neurosurgical practice. The scope of this paper is to briefly outline the educational role of
this novel technology in training surgeons. At the same time, the ability of VR workstations as
Dextroscope to consistently simulate the surgical trajectory to the lesion-target is highlighted.

The authors shed light to the current applications of VR systems in the neurosurgical field by

describing not only the advantages of those systems, but their principal drawbacks as well. It
seems that VR has come to stay and it is already the new best friend of residents due to its
“Can’t take my eyes off you effect”.

26. D Askitis, E Efremidou, M Karanikas, A Mitrakas, G Tripsianis, A Polychronidis, N Liratzopoulos.

Incidental Thyroid Carcinoma Diagnosed after Total Thyroidectomy for Benign Thyroid

Diseases: Incidence and Association with Thyroid Disease Type and Laboratory Markers. Int J
Endocrinol. 2013;2013:451959. doi: 10.1155/2013/451959. Epub 2013 Nov 20. PMID:
24348554 [PubMed] [Scopus]

Abstract: Objective. Currently, total thyroidectomy (TT) is widely used to treat

benign thyroid diseases and thyroid carcinoma. The differential diagnosis between benign and
malignant thyroid disorders and the potential identification of thyroid microcarcinomas with

biochemical markers remain controversial. This retrospective study aimed to estimate the
prognostic validity of thyroid autoantibodies, thyroglobulin (Tg), and the thyroiddisease type in

diagnostic approaches regarding the co-existence of incidental thyroid carcinoma (ITC) with
benign thyroid diseases. Methods. A cohort of 228 patients was treated with TT for

benign thyroid disorders between 2005 and 2010. Thyroid autoantibodies and Tg were
preoperatively estimated. Patients were classified according to the preoperative and

histologically established diagnoses, and the median values of the biochemical markers were
compared between the groups. Results. ITC was detected in 33/228 patients and almost

exclusively in the presence of nontoxic thyroid disorders (P = 0.014). There were no
statistically significant differences in the median values of the biochemical markers between

the benign and malignant groups. There was also no significant association between ITC and
chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. Conclusions. The co-existence of ITC with benign and

especially nontoxic thyroid diseases is significant, and treatment of these disorders with TT
when indicated can lead to the identification and definitive cure of microcarcinomas. Further
studies are required to establish precise markers with prognostic validity for TC diagnosis.

27. Kakagia D, Trypsiannis G, Karanikas M, Mitrakas A, Lyratzopoulos N, Polychronidis A. Patient-
related delay in presentation for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. A cross-sectional

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