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Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery Feb 2022Benchtop microsurgical training models that use digital tools (smartphones, tablets, and virtual reality [VR]) for magnification are allowing trainees to practice...
BACKGROUND
Benchtop microsurgical training models that use digital tools (smartphones, tablets, and virtual reality [VR]) for magnification are allowing trainees to practice without operating microscopes. This systematic review identifies existing microscope-free training models, compares models in their ability to enhance microsurgical skills, and presents a step-by-step protocol for surgeons seeking to assemble their own microsurgery training model.
METHODS
We queried PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases through November 2020 for microsurgery training models and performed a systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We collected data including training model characteristics (cost, magnification, and components) and outcomes (trainee satisfaction, image resolution, and faster suturing speed). We also conducted a complimentary Google search to identify commercially available microscope-free microsurgical training models or kits not reported in peer-reviewed literature.
RESULTS
Literature search identified 1,805 publications; 24 of these met inclusion criteria. Magnification tools most commonly included smartphones ( = 10), VR simulators ( = 4), and tablets ( = 3), with magnification ranging up to ×250 magnification on digital microscopy, ×50 on smartphones, and ×5 on tablets. Average cost of training models ranged from $13 (magnification lens) to $15,000 (augmented reality model). Model were formally assessed using workshops with trainees or attendings ( = 10), surveys to end-users ( = 5), and single-user training ( = 4); users-reported satisfaction with training models and demonstrated faster suturing speed and increased suturing quality with model training. Five commercially available microsurgery training models were identified through Google search.
CONCLUSION
Benchtop microsurgery trainers using digital magnification successfully provide trainees with increased ease of microsurgery training. Low-cost yet high magnification setups using digital microscopes and smartphones are optimal for trainees to improve microsurgical skills. Our assembly protocol, "1, 2, 3, Microsurgery," provides instructions for training model set up to fit the unique needs of any microsurgery trainee.
Topics: Augmented Reality; Clinical Competence; Humans; Microscopy; Microsurgery; Surgeons
PubMed: 34425592
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1731761 -
Journal of Microscopy Mar 2019Commercial high-resolution optical microscopes are essential for microscopy imaging; however, they are expensive and bulky, which limits their use in point-of-care...
Commercial high-resolution optical microscopes are essential for microscopy imaging; however, they are expensive and bulky, which limits their use in point-of-care devices, resource-limited areas, and real-time imaging of a sample in a large apparatus. In this study, we report a novel compact (10 cm × 5 cm × 5 cm, without the light source) lightweight (∼0.5 kg) submicron-resolution inverted optical microscope at low cost (∼$ 300). Our technique utilises the proximity of the image sensor to a commercial microscope objective lens for compactness of the microscope. The use of an image sensor with a small pixel size helps to reduce the information loss, which provides high-resolution images. Moreover, our technique offers a freedom to tailor the design of microscope according to the required resolution, cost, and portability for specific applications, which makes it a suitable candidate for affordable point-of-care devices. Images of several micron-to-submicron scale patterns and spherical beads are acquired to observe the resolution and quality of the images obtained using our microscope. In addition, we demonstrate the applications of our microscope in various fields such as recording of high-speed water microdroplet formation inside a microfluidic device, high-resolution live cell imaging inside an incubator, and real-time imaging of crack propagation in a sample under stretching by a material testing system (MTS). Therefore, this portable and inexpensive microscope provides the essential functionalities of a bulky expensive high-performance microscope at a lower cost. LAY DESCRIPTION: Microscope is an essential tool in research allowing for observation of microsized objects and life forms. Contemporary commercial high-resolution microscopes have long optical paths involving series of lenses and filters. Although this configuration precisely corrects for optical distortions and produces clear images, it makes modern microscopes very costly and bulky, restricting their usage to low-funded research laboratories and at remote places. We have developed a simple digital microscope with high-resolution but with much smaller size and lighter in weight at low cost by removing the long optical terrain. Our microscope consists of a commercial microscope objective lens for magnification and semiconductor image sensor with small pixels placed right after the lens, both of which are affordable and easily available. The small pixel size helps to translate the magnified analogue sample image to high-resolution digital image. In our paper, we show that our microscope can view micro and submicron-sized patterns and beads. Moreover, our fist-sized microscope can be placed inside an incubator for real-time imaging of cells or rotated sideways for recording submicron-sized crack generation due stretching of novel materials, both of which could not be accomplished with the 2 feet tall laboratory microscopes.
Topics: Animals; Equipment Design; Escherichia coli; Fibroblasts; Holography; Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; Lenses; Mice; Microscopy, Polarization; NIH 3T3 Cells; Oocytes; Zebrafish
PubMed: 30561003
DOI: 10.1111/jmi.12775 -
Cureus Jun 2022Access to microneurosurgical care in low- and middle-income countries remains limited mainly due to a lack of equipment. High purchasing and maintenance costs hinder the...
Access to microneurosurgical care in low- and middle-income countries remains limited mainly due to a lack of equipment. High purchasing and maintenance costs hinder the use of operating microscopes in low-resource facilities. The authors present an improved version of their previously introduced low-cost exoscope to achieve high magnification and illumination in low-resource environments. The setup included a 48-megapixel two-dimensional digital microscope camera, a wide field C-mount lens, ring light, and a two-link cantilever with a screw terminal. The surgical field was projected to a portable 17.3-inch 2K resolution monitor. Ten patients underwent exoscope-assisted transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion via the Wiltse paraspinal approach. The simple construction allowed a fast and intuitive preoperative setup. The in-plane switching type display provided a clear and bright image regardless of the viewing angle. The two-link arm of the cantilever allowed smooth positioning of the camera, overcoming the cumbersome up and down movements needed to zoom in and out with the previous prototype. Industrial microscope cameras are effective low-budget alternatives to conventional operating microscopes in lumbar microdiscectomy. The improved system is superior compared to the authors' previous prototype with regard to affordability, image quality, and adjustability of position and angle.
PubMed: 35836461
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.25858 -
Journal of Microscopy Nov 2016Open-source technology not only has facilitated the expansion of the greater research community, but by lowering costs it has encouraged innovation and customizable...
Open-source technology not only has facilitated the expansion of the greater research community, but by lowering costs it has encouraged innovation and customizable design. The field of automated microscopy has continued to be a challenge in accessibility due the expense and inflexible, noninterchangeable stages. This paper presents a low-cost, open-source microscope 3-D stage. A RepRap 3-D printer was converted to an optical microscope equipped with a customized, 3-D printed holder for a USB microscope. Precision measurements were determined to have an average error of 10 μm at the maximum speed and 27 μm at the minimum recorded speed. Accuracy tests yielded an error of 0.15%. The machine is a true 3-D stage and thus able to operate with USB microscopes or conventional desktop microscopes. It is larger than all commercial alternatives, and is thus capable of high-depth images over unprecedented areas and complex geometries. The repeatability is below 2-D microscope stages, but testing shows that it is adequate for the majority of scientific applications. The open-source microscope stage costs less than 3-9% of the closest proprietary commercial stages. This extreme affordability vastly improves accessibility for 3-D microscopy throughout the world.
PubMed: 27571224
DOI: 10.1111/jmi.12433 -
Biosensors & Bioelectronics Apr 2024Cell imaging technology is undoubtedly a powerful tool for studying single-cell heterogeneity due to its non-invasive and visual advantages. It covers microscope...
Cell imaging technology is undoubtedly a powerful tool for studying single-cell heterogeneity due to its non-invasive and visual advantages. It covers microscope hardware, software, and image analysis techniques, which are hindered by low throughput owing to abundant hands-on time and expertise. Herein, a cellular nucleus image-based smarter microscope system for single-cell analysis is reported to achieve high-throughput analysis and high-content detection of cells. By combining the hardware of an automatic fluorescence microscope and multi-object recognition/acquisition software, we have achieved more advanced process automation with the assistance of Robotic Process Automation (RPA), which realizes a high-throughput collection of single-cell images. Automated acquisition of single-cell images has benefits beyond ease and throughout and can lead to uniform standard and higher quality images. We further constructed a single-cell image database-based convolutional neural network (Efficient Convolutional Neural Network, E-CNN) exceeding 20618 single-cell nucleus images. Computational analysis of large and complex data sets enhances the content and efficiency of single-cell analysis with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which breaks through the super-resolution microscope's hardware limitation, such as specialized light sources with specific wavelengths, advanced optical components, and high-performance graphics cards. Our system can identify single-cell nucleus images that cannot be artificially distinguished with an accuracy of 95.3%. Overall, we build an ordinary microscope into a high-throughput analysis and high-content smarter microscope system, making it a candidate tool for Imaging cytology.
Topics: Artificial Intelligence; Biosensing Techniques; Software; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Single-Cell Analysis
PubMed: 38266616
DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2024.116052 -
The Review of Scientific Instruments Jan 2015New developments in the field of microscopy enable to acquire increasing amounts of information from large sample areas and at an increased resolution. Depending on the... (Review)
Review
New developments in the field of microscopy enable to acquire increasing amounts of information from large sample areas and at an increased resolution. Depending on the nature of the technique, the information may reveal morphological, structural, chemical, and still other sample characteristics. In research fields, such as cell biology and materials science, there is an increasing demand to correlate these individual levels of information and in this way to obtain a better understanding of sample preparation and specific sample properties. To address this need, integrated systems were developed that combine nanometer resolution electron microscopes with optical microscopes, which produce chemically or label specific information through spectroscopy. The complementary information from electron microscopy and light microscopy presents an opportunity to investigate a broad range of sample properties in a correlated fashion. An important part of correlating the differences in information lies in bridging the different resolution and image contrast features. The trend to analyse samples using multiple correlated microscopes has resulted in a new research field. Current research is focused, for instance, on (a) the investigation of samples with nanometer scale distribution of inorganic and organic materials, (b) live cell analysis combined with electron microscopy, and (c) in situ spectroscopic and electron microscopy analysis of catalytic materials, but more areas will benefit from integrated correlative microscopy.
Topics: Electron Microscope Tomography; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Microscopy; Spectrum Analysis, Raman
PubMed: 25638065
DOI: 10.1063/1.4905434 -
Micromachines May 2022Bright field microscopes are particularly useful tools for biologists for cell and tissue observation, phenotyping, cell counting, and so on. Direct cell observation...
Bright field microscopes are particularly useful tools for biologists for cell and tissue observation, phenotyping, cell counting, and so on. Direct cell observation provides a wealth of information on cells' nature and physiological condition. Microscopic analyses are, however, time-consuming and usually not easy to parallelize. We describe the fabrication of a stand-alone microscope able to automatically collect samples with 3D printed pumps, and capture images at up to 50× optical magnification with a digital camera at a good throughput (up to 24 different samples can be collected and scanned in less than 10 min). Furthermore, the proposed device can store and analyze pictures using computer vision algorithms running on a low power integrated single board computer. Our device can perform a large set of tasks, with minimal human intervention, that no single commercially available machine can perform. The proposed open-hardware device has a modular design and can be freely reproduced at a very competitive price with the use of widely documented and user-friendly components such as Arduino, Raspberry pi, and 3D printers.
PubMed: 35744447
DOI: 10.3390/mi13060833 -
Journal of Microscopy and Ultrastructure 2020Modern light microscopes are available with built-in illuminator and facility of photomicrography. This enables the microscopy to be ready for telemedicine. However,...
INTRODUCTION
Modern light microscopes are available with built-in illuminator and facility of photomicrography. This enables the microscopy to be ready for telemedicine. However, resource-limited settings still find difficulty in procuring those microscopes.
AIM
The aim of this study was to upgrade a light microscope to a smartphone-connected digital microscope with minimal cost to make it ready for telemedicine.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A commercially available (price: ₹389) Universal Serial Bus (USB) web camera was set on the eyepiece and fixed with the help of an aluminum sheet. Light emitting diodes (LEDs), covered with an optical diffuser, were set below the condenser. The camera was connected to an Android smartphone with an application for capturing image and video. Sixteen faculty members provided their opinion about the new device.
RESULTS
The smartphone-connected microscope was successfully used to focus and capture image and video of various slides. The images and videos were stored in the smartphone and shared via E-mail and other channels (e.g., WhatsApp and Telegram). This camera was also successfully connected to a laptop for projecting the real-time microscopic field on a screen. According to faculty members, focusing an object and capturing the image are the best features of the device; however, development of the device received lowest score.
CONCLUSION
A light microscope was upgraded to telemedicine ready microscope with nominal cost and moderate effort. It can also be used in medical teachings as it can project real-time images of a slide under the microscope. As it is equipped with LEDs, powered by the same smartphone, it can be operated without daylight or during a power outage.
PubMed: 32766118
DOI: 10.4103/JMAU.JMAU_35_19 -
Nature Reviews. Materials 2020Advanced research microscopes in universities can be used to enhance the education of STEM students, as demonstrated by initiatives at Johns Hopkins University that give...
Advanced research microscopes in universities can be used to enhance the education of STEM students, as demonstrated by initiatives at Johns Hopkins University that give students the opportunity to get hands-on experience with sophisticated microscopes.
PubMed: 32995045
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-020-00246-z -
Journal of Otology Dec 2020Endoscopes are increasingly being used in cholesteatoma surgeries either as an adjunct to microscopes or sometimes exclusively. Their role at present is more as adjunct... (Review)
Review
Endoscopes are increasingly being used in cholesteatoma surgeries either as an adjunct to microscopes or sometimes exclusively. Their role at present is more as adjunct to microscope which still remains the work-horse for mastoidectomy. However, as endoscopy and endoscopic instruments are increasingly getting refined, role of endoscopy in management of cholesteatoma is continuously being appraised with progressively newer studies. This review aims to assess outcomes of several studies in which endoscopic techniques were used in cholesteatoma surgery and recognize common trends. An extensive review of literature on this theme was performed. Sixteen studies comprising of 1685 patients treated endoscopically either exclusively or in combination with microscope were included. Intra-operatively, in 267 (15.82%) cases, residual cholesteatoma was identified by endoscope in hidden areas after completion of surgery with microscope. On follow-up, recidivism was identified in 108 cases (6.4%) in second look procedures. Common sites of recurrence were hidden areas like sinus tympani. This review while acknowledging the value of microscope, highlights the merit of endoscope usage in cholesteatoma surgery and its role in reducing recurrence.
PubMed: 33293919
DOI: 10.1016/j.joto.2020.06.004