Purpose: Microsurgery is an intricate and specialized field within plastic surgery that has significant constraints due to the high resources needed for training and operation. One significant constraint is the unavailability of surgical microscopes within healthcare systems both in the United States and on the global scale. This leaves trainees with a lack of access to surgical microscopes to practice and develop their microsurgery competence. Despite prior investigations attempting to overcome this scarcity of microscopes using iPhones and Virtual Reality Systems, there remains a gap in having high fidelity microscopes for training purposes. This investigation presents a novel prototype that utilizes low-cost materials to produce a high fidelity, highly adaptable, and travel friendly surgical microscope for microsurgery training.
Methods: Binocular objective lenses were modified for near field viewing and coupled with a double mirror array to produce a stereoscopic microscope that does not require prisms or calibration. This system was housed within a low-profile 3D printed chassis to produce the correct orientation for a top-down view of a microsurgical field. A microscope light source was built into the chassis that may be powered either with standard 120-240V outlets or battery powered in case of resource limited environments.
Results: The initial proof of concept and working prototype produce a fixed magnification of either 6.5X that enables trainees to complete end-to-end anastomoses on a 2mm vessel. This investigation remains ongoing to compare the utility of this microscope against a state-of-the art surgical microscope.
Conclusions: Microsurgical education and practice are often hampered by the high cost and inaccessibility of surgical microscopes. Our novel stereomicroscope aims to alleviate these barriers and promote better accessibility to residents and trainees on a global scale. By providing a low cost, portable solution that does not compromise the quality of the stereoscopic image, this innovation has the potential to transform the field of microsurgical education and practice.