Computer-assisted surgical navigation opens new horizons in veterinary surgery.

CASN improves implant accuracy and reduces fluoroscopy use, though cost and training barriers limit current veterinary adoption.

Computer-assisted surgical navigation (CASN) integrates preoperative imaging, real-time instrument tracking, and spatial registration to guide surgical procedures with enhanced precision. Long established as standard of care in human orthopedic, spinal, oral/maxillofacial, and neurosurgical disciplines, CASN has only recently begun emerging in veterinary surgery. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence across veterinary species, surgical disciplines, and study designs. Key documented benefits include improved implant placement accuracy, facilitation of minimally invasive approaches to anatomically complex targets, and reduced intraoperative fluoroscopy use and associated radiation exposure. The majority of existing veterinary studies are cadaveric or ex vivo in design, reflecting the early translational stage of this technology; however, reported accuracy outcomes are favorable and comparable to human surgical benchmarks. Significant barriers to broader clinical adoption include high costs of intraoperative imaging platforms, limited veterinary-specific system configurations, absence of standardized training curricula, and a learning curve that may discourage uptake by experienced surgeons. Emerging technologies—including augmented reality overlays, AI-assisted registration algorithms, and robotic surgical guidance—are anticipated to accelerate accessibility and maturation of CASN in veterinary practice. The authors conclude that CASN holds strong potential to improve surgical reproducibility, decrease radiation exposure for surgical teams and patients, and strengthen the translational relationship between veterinary and human surgical innovation as these platforms continue to evolve.

This summary was distilled by AI and may occasionally misinterpret data. Confirm critical details with the primary literature before clinical application.