An endoscopic aneurysm clip applicator: Preliminary development

Visualization of an aneursym and its associated vessels is necessary for th e proper application of aneurysm clips. Microscopes provide binocular magni fication and excellent illumination but often visualization is obscured by overriding vessels and the limitation of the operative approach. If this oc curs the aneurysm may be incompletely clipped or small perforators may be i ncluded in the clip. In an attempt to improve visualization during aneurysm clipping we have incorporated a small endoscope into the aneurysm clip app licator so that the tips of the clip can be observed at all times. Here we report our initial experimental results with this instrument.