The European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) is honoring Prof. Dr. med. Andreas Raabe with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his lifetime of work. Two of his groundbreaking innovations designed to enhance safety during brain surgery are now the international standard in neurosurgery.
Two innovations from Bern are making brain surgery safer worldwide
Visualizing blood flow directly during brain surgery. Receiving a warning signal before important nerve pathways are compromised. These two innovations have permanently transformed neurosurgery and are closely associated with the name Andreas Raabe.
For his outstanding contributions to the field, the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) has honored the director of the Department of Neurosurgery at Inselspital with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Andreas Raabe accepted the award on Wednesday evening, September 30, 2026, at the opening ceremony of the EANS2026 Congress in Hamburg.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented once a year to neurosurgeons who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of the field.
Monitoring blood flow in real time: ICG videoangiography
One of Andreas Raabe’s most significant contributions to neurosurgery is the introduction of microscope-integrated ICG videoangiography. This procedure, now widely used around the world, uses a fluorescent dye to visualize blood flow during surgery. This allows surgeons to immediately verify whether an aneurysm has been completely occluded and whether the surrounding blood vessels remain patent. Problems can thus be identified and corrected during the procedure itself.
A warning signal for key nerve pathways: continuous dynamic mapping
The second innovation also combines precision with immediate feedback: In continuous dynamic mapping, a surgical instrument doubles as an electrical probe. As soon as it approaches nerve pathways responsible for movement, an audible signal alerts the surgical team.
Andreas Raabe developed the technique together with his team in Bern. It helps to remove brain tumors as completely as possible while protecting important motor functions. The procedure is now also internationally established.
An international career marked by significant awards
Andreas Raabe studied medicine in Dresden. His professional career took him through Chemnitz, Cambridge, Leipzig, and Frankfurt to Bern. Since 2008, he has headed the Department of Neurosurgery at Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, and has been a professor at the University of Bern.
Andreas Raabe has received numerous awards for his clinical and technological work. In 2019, he received the European Lecture Award from the EANS. A year later, he was nominated for the German Future Prize – along with two development partners from ZEISS – for a robotic visualization system and was inducted into the “Circle of Excellence.” In 2026, he reached the finals of the Swiss Economic Award with the medical technology company LEM Surgical.
With the Lifetime Achievement Award, the EANS honors his life's work and his tireless dedication to the advancement of neurosurgery. The Department of Neurosurgery extends its warmest congratulations to Andreas Raabe on this outstanding honor.
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