An illuminating retractor for intracranial microneurosurgery.
During certain microneurosurgical procedures, the illumination provided by current coaxial microscope light sources is suboptimal. One potential solution is the surgical light blade (SLB), a malleable retractor incorporating a flat fiberoptic bundle along its surface. The SLB provides intense illumination within the surgical field without decreasing the amount of limited operating space. A prototype of the SLB was tested in six patients. Results suggest that with further development the SLB could become useful for intracranial microneurosurgery.
Mirsky
R
R
Division of Neurological Surgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City 52242, USA.
McCullough
T M
TM
Grady
M S
MS
Winn
H R
HR
Howard
M A
MA
Gillies
G T
GT
D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D004867:Equipment Design; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D006801:Humans; D008029:Lighting; D008853:Microscopy; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000295:instrumentation*