ArticleJournal of neurosciences in rural practice
Expanding access to microneurosurgery in low-resource settings: Feasibility of a low-cost exoscope in transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion.
Article in Journal of neurosciences in rural practice. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Exoscope versus microscope in spine surgery: A meta-analysis based on procedure-specific subgroup analysis.Neurosurgical review · 2026Pooled it
- Overcoming career barriers in global neurosurgery: insights from the WFNS young neurosurgeons survey.Neurosurgical review · 2025Article
- Exoscope-Assisted Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review From Basic to Complex Pathologies.Cureus · 2025Review
- Article
- Is Transforaminal Endoscopic Discectomy the Best Option for Recurrent Lumbar Disc Herniation? A Systematic Review.International journal of spine surgery · 2025Article
- Evaluating the Educational Impact of 3D-Printed Models in Cervical Laminoplasty Training: A Survey-Based Study.Cureus · 2025Article
- Exoscope-assisted spine surgery: Current applications and future directions-A short review.World neurosurgery: X · 2025Review
- Postoperative Glaucoma Decompensation Following Spine Surgery: The Importance of Proper Patient Positioning.Cureus · 2024Article
- Pioneering Augmented and Mixed Reality in Cranial Surgery: The First Latin American Experience.Brain sciences · 2024Article
- Article
- Exploring Pathways for Pain Relief in Treatment and Management of Lumbar Foraminal Stenosis: A Review of the Literature.Brain sciences · 2024Review
- Quantifying Lumbar Foraminal Volumetric Dimensions: Normative Data and Implications for Stenosis-Part 2 of a Comprehensive Series.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Clinical Outcome After Epidural Spinal Cord Stimulation in Patients With Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.Cureus · 2024Article
- Exoscope-assisted spine surgery: Current applications and future directions.World neurosurgery: X · 2024Review
- Surgical treatment of orbital tumors in a single center: Analysis and results.Surgical neurology international · 2024Article
- Prognostic Factors Associated With Overall Survival in Breast Cancer Patients With Metastatic Spinal Disease.Cureus · 2023Article
- Factors affecting return to work following endoscopic lumbar foraminal stenosis surgery: A single-center series.Surgical neurology international · 2023Article
- Comparative survey study of the use of a low cost exoscope vs. microscope for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF).Frontiers in medical technology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objectives: Less than a quarter of the world population has access to microneurosurgical care within a range of 2 h. We introduce a simplified exoscopic visualization system for low-resource settings. Materials and Methods: We purchased a 48 megapixels microscope camera with a c-mount lens and a ring light at a total cost of US$ 125. Sixteen patients with lumbar degenerative disk disease were divided into an exoscope group and a microscope group. In each group, we performed four open and four minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusions (TLIF). We conducted a questionnaire-based assessment of the user experience. Results: The exoscope achieved similar outcomes with comparable blood loss and operating time as the microscope. It provided similar image quality and magnification. Yet, it lacked stereoscopic perception and the adjustability of the camera position was cumbersome. Most users strongly agreed the exoscope would significantly improve surgical teaching. Over 75% reported that they would recommend the exoscope to colleagues and all users saw its great potential for low-resource environments. Conclusion: Our low-budget exoscope is safe and feasible for TLIF and purchasable at a fraction of the cost of conventional microscopes. It may thus help expand access to neurosurgical care and training worldwide.
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Registered trials
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