Comparison between an Operating Surgical Microscope and High Magnification Surgical Loupes in Microvascular Reconstruction of Head and Neck Defects in a Tertiary Healthcare Centre.

[INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE] Microvascular free tissue transfers have become an important method of reconstruction following head & neck oncological resection. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of surgical loupes against surgical operating microscope, which is the gold standard for microvascular anastomosis and also to explore the possibility of surgical loupes as an essential cost-effective armamentarium in head and neck reconstruction.

[MATERIALS AND METHODS] This prospective randomized study included 40 patients diagnosed with head and neck malignancies, requiring microvascular free flap reconstruction. A total of 20 patients who underwent free flap reconstruction following oncologic/maxillofacial defects using high magnification surgical loupes & the other 20 patients were subjected to reconstruction under an operating surgical microscope. The efficacy was assessed based on the following parameters. 1. Total operating time taken for completing anastomosis. 2. Overall fatigue. 3. Free flap failure rate.

[RESULTS] The microscope group took an overall mean time of 34.26 min considering its limited degree of freedom in adjusting intraoperatively whereas the loupes group had a shorter mean anastomosis time 33.29 min considering its ease of operator adjustability. Overall, fatigue was compared using Mann-Whitney Test and found to be statistically significant with P value of 0.17, the loupe group was found to be better with mean score of 6.90 in 21 patients than microscope with mean score of 6.21in 19 patients. Flap survival rate in the loupe group had two cases of venous obstruction at 24 h follow-up and microscope group had 1 case of venous.obstruction.

[CONCLUSION] The success with loupe only free tissue transfer can be attributable considering expertise with the microscope and the loupes can be a cost-effective alternative to microscope.