The 3D-Printed Surgical Microscope: An Innovative, Low-Cost Solution for Global Microsurgery Education

Summary:

Microsurgery is a specialized field within plastic surgery constrained by the high cost and limited availability of surgical microscopes, particularly in resource-limited settings. This lack of access hinders trainees from developing essential microsurgical skills. Previous efforts have explored smartphone-based alternatives, but there remains a need for high-fidelity, accessible training microscopes. This study presents a novel, low-cost, travel-friendly surgical microscope designed for microsurgery training. Modified binocular objective lenses enable near-field stereoscopic viewing using a dual-mirror array. A 3D-printed chassis provides the correct top-down orientation, and an integrated light source operates on standard or battery power, ensuring usability in low-resource environments. Initial testing demonstrated a fixed 6.5× magnification, allowing trainees to perform end-to-end anastomoses on 2-mm vessels. Prototypes were deployed for microsurgery training in the United States, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Vietnam through the SHARE (Surgeons in Humanitarian Alliance for Reconstruction, Research and Education) plastic surgery organization, Nuoy Reconstructive International, and the senior author’s home institution. The authors’ investigation continues to assess the effectiveness of the microscope compared with state-of-the-art surgical microscopes. By offering a low-cost, portable solution without compromising image quality, this innovation has begun to transform microsurgical education and operating room–based microscopy worldwide, increasing accessibility for trainees and patients in diverse settings.