Surgeon's-View Camera for Intraoral and Deep Craniofacial Surgery: A Refined Technique for Enhanced Visualization

ObjectiveTo refine and adapt an existing surgeon's-view camera technique for application in intraoral and deep craniofacial surgical fields, providing a lightweight, low-cost, and educationally valuable visualization method.DesignA technical innovation study evaluating a customized mounting and imaging system for surgeon's-view video recording in craniofacial surgery.Patients/ParticipantsRepresentative craniofacial cases were recorded, including palatoplasty and pharyngeal flap surgery.InterventionsA USB camera (IMX179 sensor, M12 mount) was mounted directly onto surgical loupes or a head-mount using a custom 3D-printed housing. The system incorporated an aperture-narrowing disc to increase the depth of field and utilized a smartphone as the recording and power source.ResultsThe system successfully recorded clear, stable, surgeon-aligned videos of deep surgical fields without additional recording equipment. The aperture modification improved focus stability, though image brightness and sharpness were reduced. Lens interchangeability and smartphone mirroring enabled flexible field-of-view adjustment and real-time sharing with surgical staff.ConclusionsThis refined surgeon's-view camera system is a practical, adaptable, and affordable solution for recording deep craniofacial procedures. Despite minor image trade-offs, it enhances surgical education and may broaden accessibility to high-quality operative video recording.