Carl Olof Nylen and the Birth of the Otomicroscope and Microsurgery

The Evolution of Intra-Operative Facial Nerve Identification: A Review of the Literature

“…Carl Olof Nylén, a Swedish otologist, is credited for creating the first monocular microscope used in surgical practice in 1921. 22 His design was further refined by Swedish physician Gunnar Holmgren, who in 1922 created a binocular microscope with an attached light source to improve the depth perception and visualization of the instrument. 23 The operating microscope underwent several iterations before its widespread adoption in the 1950s.…”

Assisting in Microsurgery: Operative and Technical Considerations

“…The first microsurgical procedure was performed by Carl Olof Nylén, a Swedish otorhinolaryngologist, who also developed the first surgical microscope. 1 In the subsequent century, microsurgical techniques became mainstay practice for several surgical specialties, including plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, and otolaryngology. Microsurgery requires the use of an operating microscope (or surgical loupes) and microsurgical instruments to anastomose vessels and coapt nerves often smaller than a few millimeters in diameter.…”

Narrative review of the history of microsurgery in urological practice

“…The operating microscope was first introduced in otolaryngology surgery. To better enable fenestration procedures for otosclerosis of the middle ear, a surgical intern at the University of Sweden, Carl Olof Nylen [1892Nylen [ -1978, first introduced the microscope into the operating room in 1921 (1)(2)(3). By modifying a monocular dissecting microscope for the operative setting, his innovation inspired the otolaryngology department chair Gunnar Holmgren to develop a tripod mount and add an external light source.…”