title: An illuminating retractor for intracranial microneurosurgery.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurological Surgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City 52242, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mirsky
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: McCullough
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Grady
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Winn
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Gillies
mesh_terms: 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*