Keywords
Magnification and Illumination
Surgical Telescopes
Surgical Headlights

Definition
Surgical telescopes fixed to the head and a surgical headlight magnify and illuminate the surgical field. Surgical circumstances in which an expanded field of vision and greater motion of the hand are beneficial lend themselves to this surgical equipment. Each surgeon must establish their own comfort level with hand movement, degree of magnification and amount of illumination. Graduated magnification can be accomplished in fixed intervals with different pairs of surgical loupes. 

Prescriptions can be built into the eyeglass and a focal length fixed to a specific working distance. In essence, the zoom of magnification is factored into the usual operating visual zone of the surgeon. With magnification in the 2.5 X, 3.5X, 4.5X and 6.0X range, the expanded field capacity allows the surgeon to avoid getting lost in the periphery. Surgical headlights bring intense focused light to the specific area of interest and the ability to cone down to a minimal light field or expand to more generous boundaries. With a surgical headlight and graduated pairs of surgical loupes, the principles of magnification and illumination extend beyond the boundaries of the microscope and endoscope. 

Indications
When magnification and illumination are essential components of surgery. And when aren't they?
Technical Considerations Return to Menu
Surgical telescopes and headlights are useful when greater hand movement or a particular depth of field is essential to the surgical task.

Literature Review
Featured Review:
A sinlge article emphazes the value of this simple tehcnology applied to a large series of lumbar herniated discs (ref #1).Complications Return to Menu
Complications would depend upon the nature of the surgery performed with the headlight and surgical telescopes.

Author’s Comment
There are times where endosocpic and microsurgical level magnification and illumination do not provide the hand-eye depth and allow movement in the field of perception necessary to perform the surgical task. The advantage of the multi-faceted approach is the selection of magnification and illumination is a key criteria for particular surgeries. After all, golf is not played with only one club.

References
Savitz, M. H.Minilaminotomy as an alternative to laminectomy or microdiskectomy: ten years' experience. Mt Sinai J Med 1991 58, 2, 165-7.