Abstract: Objective To explore the best method and application effect of skin preparation in patients undergoing neurosurgical craniotomy. Methods With medical imaging technology and virtual 3D visualization technology, a regional skin preparation map was formed and applied in clinical practice. A total of 244 patients with neurosurgical craniotomy were enrolled and divided into in the observation group (n=126) and the control group (n=118). The observation group performed the removal of part of the hair according to 3D reconstruction-based skin preparation map, and the control group removed all the hair. The skin damage rate, doctor and patient satisfaction, and the incidence of postoperative anxiety and depression in the 2 groups were compared. Results The skin damage rate of the observation group was 0, which was lower than that of the control group by 2.5%(P>0.05); the score of doctor satisfaction (98.53±5.72) and patient satisfaction (99.87±3.56) of the observation group were higher than that of the control group (both P<0.001); the incidence of postoperative anxiety (19.8%) and that of depression (16.7%) were significantly lower in the observation group than those in the control group (both P<0.001). Conclusion 3D-reconstruction-aided skin preparation map is effective for reducing the skin damage of patients, improving the satisfaction of doctors and patients, and reducing the incidence of postoperative anxiety and depression. It is worth to be popularized clinically.

Key words: regional skin preparation, 3D visualization technology, neurosurgery, three-dimensional reconstruction