The guillotine knife: a novel tool for safe endoscopic cutting of intracranial membranes.

This article describes a new endoscopic cutting tool that acts like a guillotine. It enables safe cutting of membranes overlying neurovascular structures because the footplate protects these structures from inadvertent injury. The footplate is introduced under the membrane, elevating it slightly, and then the membrane is cut while pushing the blade down into the footplate. The guillotine knife has been used in various endoscopic procedures such as septostomies, arachnoid cyst fenestrations, colloid cysts resections, and fenestrations of other intraventricular membranes. The authors think that the guillotine knife is a useful addition to the neuroendoscopic armamentarium.