Abstract
Background Dissection and division of tissues are widely performed in microscopic neurosurgery,
especially in brain tumor resection. Dissection maneuvers can be divided into two
types: sharp dissection with microscissors and blunt dissection using a dissector.
It is essential to use the appropriate method according to the intraoperative situation
and conditions. Therefore, specific tools for each type of dissection maneuver are
required. We developed an ultrasonic microdissector, a newly designed tool that functions
as both microscissors and dissector to further advance brain tumor surgery. This preliminary
experimental study was performed to evaluate the usefulness of this new device.
Methods Solfy F (J. Morita Mfg. Corp., Kyoto, Japan), a dental ultrasonic instrument, was
used to provide power in this study. Two experiments were performed. The first one
involved touching the brain parenchyma of a pig cadaver with the tip of the ultrasonic
microdissector under various conditions to investigate its side effects. In the second
experiment, the rat femoral artery, vein, and nerve were dissected from surrounding
structures using a prototype of the ultrasonic microdissector. The effects of this
device were then investigated histologically.
Results The amount of tissue damage was greater with the higher ultrasonic power. No irrigation
and a long manipulation time also affected tissue degeneration. Dissection using the
ultrasonic microdissector was superior to conventional dissection methods in terms
of time (p < 0.05) and safety without any additional histologic damages.
Conclusions The newly developed ultrasonic microdissector can dissect soft tissue without damage
to the surrounding tissue. Further studies are required to determine the optimal intensity
for its clinical use.
Keywords
Ultrasonic Surgical Device - dissector - soft tissue - brain tumor
