The development history of surgical microscopes

Although microscopes have been used in scientific research fields (laboratories) for centuries, it was not until the 1920s when Swedish otolaryngologists used bulky microscope devices for laryngeal surgery that the application of microscopes in surgical procedures began. 30 years later (1953), Zeiss produced surgical microscopes, and since then, microsurgery has grown exponentially: in China, orthopedic surgical microscopes were used for limb replantation surgery in the early 1860s; In the mid-1960s, neurosurgical microscopes were also used in hand vascular and nerve anastomosis surgeries in the United States; In 1970, Yasargil used a neurosurgical microscope for lumbar disc surgery. Afterwards, Williams and Caspar published their articles on microsurgical treatment of lumbar disc disease, which were later widely cited. Nowadays, the use of Operating microscopes is becoming increasingly common. In the field of replantation or transplantation surgery, doctors can use neurosurgical surgical microscopes to improve their visual abilities. And for other types of surgeries, such as dental surgery, ophthalmic surgery, otolaryngology surgery, etc., corresponding surgical microscopes have also been developed.

Surgeons have long recognized the importance of good magnification and lighting devices in order to see more clearly. In the field of spinal surgery, many surgeons use surgical magnifying glasses and headlight illumination to improve visual effects. Compared to using a surgical microscope, using a surgical magnifying glass and headlight has many drawbacks. Fortunately, operating microscopes are widely used in the field of neurosurgery (neurosurgery), and they are willing to apply microscopes to spinal surgery. However, most doctors in the field of orthopedics are reluctant to give up magnifying glasses and switch to Orthopedic surgical microscopes, and orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons who have already used orthopedic microscopes for spinal surgery do not understand this. With orthopedic surgeons increasingly performing hand and peripheral nerve microsurgery, resident doctors now have early access to microscopy technology and are more receptive to using Neurosurgery microscopes for spinal surgery. We should note that compared to microsurgery on the hands and other superficial tissues, spinal surgery always operates in a deep cavity. Therefore, using a Plastic surgery microscope can provide better illumination and enlarge the surgical field, making minimally invasive surgery possible.

The magnification and illumination device of a surgical microscope can provide many conveniences for surgery, and most importantly, it can make the surgical incision smaller. The rise of "keyhole" minimally invasive surgery has prompted surgeons to more accurately analyze the exact causes of nerve compression and more precisely determine the position of the compression object in the spinal canal. The development of keyhole surgery also urgently requires a new set of anatomical principles as a foundation.

Because the surgical field of view is magnified six times, surgeons need to operate more gently on nerve tissue, and the illumination provided by the Operating microscope is much better than all other light sources, which is very conducive to exposing the tissue gaps at the surgical site. Therefore, it can be said that microsurgery is a doctor with higher surgical safety!

The ultimate beneficiaries of the advantages of Surgical microscopes are patients. Surgical Microscopy can reduce surgical time, alleviate patient discomfort after surgery, and reduce postoperative complications. The surgical effect of microdissection is as good as conventional discectomy surgery. Operating Microscopy can also allow most discectomy surgeries to be performed in outpatient settings, thereby reducing surgical costs.