Device Combines Endoscopic and Microscopic Images

Pittsburgh, June 11, 2001 -- Neurological surgeons at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurosurgery are among the few in this country using a new surgical device that allows them to "see around corners" during brain surgery. The device is called the OME-8000 and was developed by Olympus Optical Co. LTD. It uses an optical technique called image fusion, which combines the view from a surgical microscope with that of a surgical endoscope to give surgeons a better visualization of internal brain structures. This application was pioneered for clinical use at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Cranial Nerve Disorders.

The device is extremely valuable during delicate microvascular decompression surgery for hemifacial spasms (HFS), according to Amin Kassam, MD, assistant professor of neurological surgery and director of the Center for Cranial Nerve Disorders and Microvascular Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh.

HFS is an involuntary twitching of one side of the face. It usually starts around the eye and slowly progresses to involve the lower face. In some patients, it starts around the musculature of the mouth and progresses up the face towards the eye. The muscles in the forehead and neck are usually the last to be affected. Twitching also occurs during sleep and is rarely painful. There is no medical treatment that can cure HFS, which is caused when a facial nerve (seventh cranial nerve) in the lower brainstem is compressed by blood vessels.

In microvascular decompression surgery, neurological surgeons make a small incision behind the patient's ear to access the appropriate blood vessels and nerves. They then insert a soft cotton-like pad between the affected nerve and the offending arteries or veins to separate the two and relieve pressure.

"This device gives us a better visualization of critical brain structures. It allows us to see behind anatomical structures, thus minimizing the risk of injury and maximizing identification of hidden blood vessels that might be causing the HFS," said Dr. Kassam. "We are better able to optimize our manipulation of instruments within this small surgical field (about the size of a thumbnail) without injuring adjacent critical structures. We have found this technology especially useful in cases of recurrences and repeat operations. With this device we have been able to improve patient outcome for this delicate surgery. This has allowed us to achieve a greater than 95 percent chance of controlling the HFS."

The technique is similar to television's picture within a picture. The simultaneous use of a surgical microscope with that of a surgical endoscope (a tiny slender camera used in minimally invasive surgery that uses light and mirrors) optimizes safety while even further improving results.

"Using this device can be compared to driving a car. A driver can see different angles with the side and rear-view mirrors. If the driver has to turn his head and look behind him, he is more at risk for crashing. With the car's mirrors, the driver can focus on what is ahead, but get a different view," said Michael Horowitz, MD, associate professor of neurosurgery and radiology, who, with Dr. Kassam, operates on patients with hemifacial spasm, trigeminal neuralgia and glossopharyngeal neuralgia. "This is an exciting integration of Olympus technology with our neurosurgical expertise here at UPMC."

Olympus America Inc., a subsidiary of Olympus Optical Co. LTD, distributes a wide range of products that leverage its core expertise in optics and digital information for the consumer, health care, scientific, commercial and industrial markets.