• Hirokuni Hashikata, Yoshinori Maki, Gen Futamura, Naoya Yoshimoto, Masanori Goto, Hideki Hayashi, Namiko Nishida, Koichi Iwasaki, and Hiroki Toda.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Medical Research Institute Kitano Hospital, PIIF Tazuke-Kofukai, Osaka, Japan. Electronic address: hiro.h@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
• World Neurosurg. 2023 Nov 1; 179: e539e548e539-e548.

BackgroundStudies on the functionality and usability of the exoscope in neurosurgical procedures against surgical microscopes (SMs) are limited. This study aimed to examine the functionality and usability of the exoscope during microvascular decompression (MVD) surgery.MethodsSeven neurosurgeons evaluated the usefulness of a 4 K, 3-dimension digital exoscope in MVD by answering a questionnaire. The questionnaire inquired about the functionality and usability of the exoscope by utilizing a visual analog scale (VAS; 1-10). A score of 5 on VAS was equivalent to the corresponding quality of the SM. The learning effect of the exoscope was evaluated using mean VAS scores in the first and last 3 cases for each neurosurgeon.ResultsThe functionality of the exoscope in MVD was superior to that in SM (P < 0.001). In the last 3 surgeries, the mean VAS scores of the exoscope were excellent in terms of ease of arm handling, exchange of surgical instruments, ease of surgical procedure, and intraoperative physical stress. The mean VAS scores of the exoscope in intraoperative asthenopia were significantly higher than those of the SM (P < 0.001). No statistical significance was found in operation time, discharge outcome, and 1-year post-surgery outcome between MVD performed using the exoscope and SM.ConclusionsNeurosurgeons may experience reduced stress levels during MVD when using the exoscope. As the outcome of MVD using the exoscope did not demonstrate a statistical difference compared with MVD using the SM, the exoscope may prove to be a useful tool for performing MVD.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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