New surgical frontiers for 4K 3D-exoscope in paediatric head and neck surgery

3D‐4K Exoscope‐Assisted CO2 Laser Supraglottoplasty for Severe Laryngomalacia in a Pediatric Patient

“…3D‐4K exoscopic surgery is currently spreading in many head and neck surgical fields, 2,3 especially in laryngeal surgery 2 . Supraglottoplasty, a procedure used to treat laryngomalacia, can be performed in various ways, most of which are less expensive than the 3D‐4K exoscope‐assisted method.…”

“…Therefore, the investment and costs associated with acquiring the exoscope can be justified by its multidisciplinary utility. Moreover, previous reports 2,3 have emphasized the value of the exoscope in education and training settings. The description of the first case of severe LM treated with this technology demonstrates the safety and efficacy of this technique because of the combination of high definition, high magnification power, the possibility to appreciate the depth of the surgical field and three‐dimensional visualization of anatomical structures during breathing.…”

“…3 The main advantages of 3D-exoscopy over microscopy and conventional endoscopy, are: depth of the surgical field, the 3D visualization of anatomical structures, a longer focal length creating a wider working space, improved camera handling thanks to the combined use of a mechanical arm, the ARTip CruiseTM (Karl Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany), allowing the surgeon to explore the surgical field without the anatomical limitations of microscopy. 2,3 Moreover, surgery can be performed in a more ergonomic position thanks to the transmission of the images on a 4K 3D screen, placed at the eye level of the main surgeon, reducing the physical and mental demand and frustration for the surgeon; this setting facilitates the transmission of knowledge to students, and can be used for training, thanks also to the possibility of creating videos for the surgical training. 3 To the best of our knowledge, the use of a 3D-4K exoscope for laryngeal surgery on pediatric patients has not been previously reported in the literature.…”

“…Traditionally, surgery is performed using a microscope and cold knife, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) laser, microdebrider or coblation 1 2 ; however, only a few pediatric series have been published so far, focusing primarily on ear surgery 3 . The main advantages of 3D‐exoscopy over microscopy and conventional endoscopy, are: depth of the surgical field, the 3D visualization of anatomical structures, a longer focal length creating a wider working space, improved camera handling thanks to the combined use of a mechanical arm, the ARTip CruiseTM (Karl Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany), allowing the surgeon to explore the surgical field without the anatomical limitations of microscopy 2,3 .…”

“…Recently, the use of three‐dimensional (3D) exoscopy (VITOM 3D, Karl Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany) has been reported in head and neck surgery, including laryngeal surgery for adult patients, with satisfactory and promising results 2 ; however, only a few pediatric series have been published so far, focusing primarily on ear surgery 3 . The main advantages of 3D‐exoscopy over microscopy and conventional endoscopy, are: depth of the surgical field, the 3D visualization of anatomical structures, a longer focal length creating a wider working space, improved camera handling thanks to the combined use of a mechanical arm, the ARTip CruiseTM (Karl Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany), allowing the surgeon to explore the surgical field without the anatomical limitations of microscopy 2,3 . Moreover, surgery can be performed in a more ergonomic position thanks to the transmission of the images on a 4K 3D screen, placed at the eye level of the main surgeon, reducing the physical and mental demand and frustration for the surgeon; this setting facilitates the transmission of knowledge to students, and can be used for training, thanks also to the possibility of creating videos for the surgical training 3 .…”