Video-microsurgery: a new tool in microsurgery.

Endoscopic surgery is slowly becoming an increasing part of plastic surgical practice. Besides its most obvious advantages, related to small incisions, the endoscope provides excellent magnification of the operative field. We thus decided to investigate the possibility of using the endoscope as an alternative to the operative microscope for performing microsurgical procedures. Before starting a clinical investigation, digital artery, nerve, vein microsutures, and neck dissections were performed in fresh human cadavers. Magnification, working distance, depth of focus, diameter and temperature of the operative field, and resolution were measured using either the operating microscope or the endoscope. Working conditions were compared. The advantages of the endoscope as compared to the microscope were: less bulk, sterility, mobility, versatility and cost-effectiveness. The disadvantages were: short working distance, inferior resolution and two-dimensional images. Overall, the endoscope was found to be an interesting alternative to the operating microscope. We are now using the endoscope routinely in the clinical arena, and we believe that it has a great potential and a promising future as a microsurgical tool.