Video microsurgery: Early experience with an alternative operating magnification system

Since Nylen first used an operating microscope in 1921, its basic design ha s remained fundamentally unchanged. Microsurgical procedures are still perf ormed while viewing the subject through binocular eyepieces. This article e xamines the potential to perform microsurgery using video technology, opera ting with a television monitor. The development of the videomicroscope is d iscussed together with its early trials. The results show the potential to perform simple microsurgical procedures while viewing the procedure in a tw o-dimensional format. The advantages and disadvantages of such a system are discussed, together with future implications. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.