Digital Microscope Provides Advanced Visualization in OR

The Department of Neurosurgery at the Mount Sinai Health System (New York, NY, USA) has become one of the first hospitals in the US to use Modus V, a hands-free, robotically controlled digital microscope that provides advanced visualization in the operating room (OR). Modus V has been developed by Synaptive Medical Inc, a medical device and technology company. The system is the cornerstone of Synaptive’s BrightMatter platform, which integrates navigation, robotic automation, a digital microscope, and data analytics.

The system comprises a robotic arm featuring a high-definition camera that projects digital images of neuroanatomy on large monitors. It provides an alternative to the traditional operating microscope featuring an ocular or eyepiece that is commonly used by neurosurgeons to view magnified images of the brain.


“This technology sets the stage for the next generation of digital image-based neurosurgery,” said Constantinos Hadjipanayis, MD, PhD, Professor and Site Chair of Neurosurgery at Mount Sinai Union Square and Director of Neurosurgical Oncology for the Mount Sinai Health System. “The device allows us to have an enlarged view of the tissues that we’re operating on and use a robotic arm to adjust the position in a manner that provides better visualization. High-definition images of brain tractography, fibers inside the central nervous system that control movement and function, improve our ability to navigate in the brain with our surgical instruments.”

“As critical information streams into multiple viewpoints in the operating room, much like in the cockpit of an aircraft, the surgeon’s goal is to utilize that information and move beyond critical structures, preserve neurologic function, and safely perform the procedure,” said Joshua Bederson, MD, Professor and System Chair for the Department of Neurosurgery at Mount Sinai Health System and Clinical Director of the Neurosurgery Simulation Core. “This technology takes us one step closer to our ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes.”

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