Research Project
2270913
Microsurgery produced revolutionary changes in the scope and safety of intracranial neurosurgery during the 1970's. Today, the endoscopic surgery revolution is just beginning to affect neurosurgery, but it shows great promise. Present endoscopic methods, however, severely limit the variety and size of surgical instruments that can be used, and provide only monocular vision. The proposed Phase I project will develop a set of instruments that will combine the minimally invasive advantages of endoscopy with the manipulative advantages of microsurgery, allowing the neurosurgeon to utilize existing microsurgical skills - guided by miniaturized optics - to perform complex intracranial procedures with improved vision through minimal surgical exposures. In Phase I, unique endoscopic microsurgical instruments will be developed and tested. The successful completion of this work will set the stage for creating another revolutionary advance in neurosurgical technique. The resulting decrease in the morbidity and cost of complex intracranial neurosurgical procedures should be significant.
