Clinical Performance of Digital Microscopes in Microsurgery: A Retrospective Analysis of Operative Time and...

Area of Science:

• Microsurgery
• Plastic Surgery
• Surgical Technology

Background:

• Limited clinical data exists on the operative efficiency and safety of digital microscopes (DMs) compared to optical microscopes (OMs) in microsurgery.
• Key metrics like anastomosis time and intraoperative thrombosis require further evaluation in clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the learning curve of digital microscopes (DMs) in microsurgical reconstruction using operative time.
• To assess thrombotic events as a safety outcome associated with DM use.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 123 free-flap reconstructions.
• Cases categorized into optical microscope (OM), early-phase digital microscope (DM-T1), and late-phase digital microscope (DM-T2) groups.
• Analysis of microscope usage time, anastomosis times, and thrombotic events; learning curve assessed by comparing DM-T1 and DM-T2.

Main Results:

• Mean microscope usage and arterial anastomosis times were significantly longer in DM-T1 compared to DM-T2 and OM.
• Venous anastomosis time showed a decreasing trend from DM-T1 to DM-T2.
• No significant difference in intraoperative or postoperative thrombosis incidence was observed among the groups.

Conclusions:

• Digital microscopes (DMs) exhibit a learning curve, with operative efficiency improving to levels comparable to optical microscopes (OMs).
• DMs maintain similar thrombotic safety profiles to OMs.
• DMs are a reliable visualization platform for microsurgical reconstruction.