Table-top Microscope Mounted on Flexible Monitor Arm Using a Customized Multipurpose Metal Plate for Microsurgical Training: Technical Note

Abstract

Despite the recognized usefulness of a portable table-top microscope in microsurgical training, its effectiveness is limited when training involves anatomical models and long surgical instruments. This limitation arises from the microscope's exclusive mobility to an up-and-down direction and the restricted working space beneath it. To address these challenges, we customized the table-top microscope by attaching its scope body and focusing rack to a Visual Electronics Standards Association (San Jose, CA, USA) monitor arm, originally designed for mounting computer monitors. A multipurpose metal plate, known as a "cheese plate" and designed for use with photography cameras, was customized to function as an adapter between the microscope and the monitor arm. The plate has Visual Electronics Standards Association-standard screw holes, which allowed the connection between the microscope focusing rack and the Visual Electronics Standards Association monitor arm. This assembly, referred to as a focusing rack-adapter plate complex, was then mounted on the Visual Electronics Standards Association monitor arm. To evaluate the modified microscope, its view was compared with that of a traditional microscope using concentric circles and gauze on the slope models. The modified microscope, mounted on the Visual Electronics Standards Association monitor arm, exhibited remarkable flexibility in its working area, height, and angles. The total cost of the modification was approximately $140. The advantages of the modified microscope over the traditional one, shown by a comparative study, were primarily attributed to the enhanced mobility of the modified microscope. With its simple modification process and affordable cost, this upgraded microscope has the potential to greatly benefit neurosurgeons who undergo microsurgical training.