抄録
Operative procedures for sites invisible to the naked eye require three-dimensional (3-D) monitoring. This is superior to 2-D monitoring in the respect that the access of the surgical tool to the surgical site has to be accurate. The 3-D endoscope we developed has a straight stainless steel shaft with a 2.7mm external diameter. It consists of a single channel with one object microlense at the tip, relay microlenses installed in the shaft, and light-guide optical fibers inserted in the shaft. Natural color views are shown on a 17 inch CRT with a real-time signal processor through a three CCDs camera. The signal processor creates other views by shifting the original views appropriate distances. Two separate views are displayed alternately at 120Hz, and surgeons can see these three dimensional visions by wearing light-weight eyeglasses with a liquid crystal shutter driven remotely by infrared signals synchronized with the signal processor. This system was applied to monitor surgical sites during pulmonary thromboendarterectomy. The newly developed 3-D rigid endoscope could be inserted into the pulmonary artery, even in areas invisible to the surgeon's naked eye without interfering the surgeon's visual field. The assistants and nurses could thus see the fine surgical procedure through three dimensional vision, and the vasculature of the pulmonary artery could be examined even after the procedure. This rigid endoscope has the smallest diameter to date. This system is useful for visualizing surgical sites in cardiovascular surgery in which the operative field is not widely denuded.
