NEW PRODUCT APPLICATIONS

Expanding Surgical Capabilities in the Operating Room

Leica Microsystems’ innovative platform is easily expandable for future technologies.

BY KAREN APPOLD, CONTRIBUTING WRITER

With its new stand, the Proveo 8 microscope — Leica Microsystems’ (Buffalo Grove, IL) newest platform for ophthalmology — can be integrated, expanded, and upgraded. “It incorporates and internalizes all of the important features and technologies that I use into a sleek and modern scope,” says Seenu M. Hariprasad, MD, professor of ophthalmology and visual science chief, and vitreoretinal service director, Clinical Research, the University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences, Chicago, IL. “Optical technology is evolving at a rapid pace, so having a scope that allows you to improve upon it over time is imperative.”

The Proveo 8 microscope’s features make it ideal for any aspect of ophthalmologic surgery, including retinal applications, interior and anterior segment applications, and intrasurgical optical coherence tomography applications.

HIGH-TECH LIGHTING

The platform is equipped with full LED lighting with CoAx4 illumination; each optical pathway has LED illumination at zero degrees for a consistent red reflex. Patented Leica quad optics provide full stereo viewing for an assistant and 100% illumination for the main surgeon.

“Because I train vitreoretinal fellows, it is important that my assistant and I have the same magnification,” Dr. Hariprasad says. “This feature enables me to watch my assistant perform surgery.”

What’s more, the Proveo 8 microscope uses FusionOptics, an innovative technology designed by Leica Microsystems, which provides one optical pathway with high resolution and the other pathway with increased depth of field. “The brain merges the two images into a single optimal spatial image,” explains Randy Spencer, product performance manager, Ophthalmology, Leica Microsystems.

“FusionOptics provide a 40% increase in depth over previous Leica ophthalmic microscopes. This allows the surgeon to see the retinal floor, detachments, and tip of the surgical instrument without having to constantly change his point of focus — helping him to work more quickly.”

By providing the main surgeon with 100% illumination, more light is available through the eye pieces, allowing the use of lower light levels. “This helps to prevent eye fatigue when a surgeon performs multiple cases over a long period of time,” Spencer says.

OPTIMIZED RETINAL VIEWING

The Proveo 8 microscope is designed with ease of use and comfort in mind. The integrated electronic inverters can be activated simultaneously for the main surgeon and assistant via a foot pedal, or automatically if used with the Oculus BIOM 4 or 5 noncontact viewing system. “The microscope is also designed to simultaneously flip the video image on the monitors so that the images are not inverted or reversed — presenting a typical view,” says Lon Dowell, Ophthalmology Marketing–Americas, Leica Microsystems.

“In the past we needed to use a large bulky device to invert an image; now everything is integrated into the barrel of the scope,” says Dr. Hariprasad, who adds that his previous equipment had a lot of cumbersome external wires and parts. Furthermore, “We can use a host of different visualization systems to see the retina.”

In addition, the Proveo 8 employs electromagnetic movement as opposed to friction movement. “This makes it easy to move the microscope when releasing the brakes,” Dowell says. Plus, the assistant arm has the ability to rotate to either side of the optics head, without having to remove any optical components, and it provides an independent fine focus capability.

OTHER FEATURES

The Proveo 8 microscope has a fully integrated 1080 progressive scan high-definition camera, which allows for retinal and anterior video viewing and recording. Its modular architecture enables it to accept multiple types of recording and imaging technologies, such as integrated OCT, toric intraocular lens alignment navigation, and 3D viewing.

“It is critical for retinal surgeons to have a high-quality camera to record and share our experiences with other surgeons,” Dr. Hariprasad says.

The instrument also includes a slit lamp with continuous slit width adjustment via a footswitch and keratoscope activation by footswitch.

With the advent of the Proveo 8, along with the EnFocus Intrasurgical OCT, Leica Microsystems is reconfirming its commitment to the ophthalmology field,” Dowell concludes. RP