A transparent sheath for endoscopic surgery and its application in surgical evacuation of spontaneous intracerebral hematomas. Technical note.

The authors advocate the use of a transparent sheath for guiding an endoscope, a simple and unique tool for endoscopic surgery, and describe preliminary results of its application in the evacuation of hypertensive intracerebral hematomas. This sheath is a 10-cm-long tube made of clear acrylic plastic, which greatly improves visualization of the surgical field through a 2.7-mm nonangled endoscope inserted within. Between April 1997 and December 1998, the authors performed endoscopic evacuation of intracerebral hematomas by using this sheath inserted into the patients' heads through a burr hole. In nine consecutive cases in which the hematoma was larger than 40 ml in volume, nearly complete evacuation (86-100%) of the lesion was achieved without complication. Excellent visualization of the border between the brain parenchyma and the hematoma facilitated accurate intraoperative orientation, and also allowed easy identification of the bleeding point. Thus, this combination of sheath and endoscope achieves both minimal invasiveness and the maximum extent of hematoma removal with secure hemostasis. This tool will reduce the inherent disadvantage of endoscopic procedures and may expand their application in other areas of neurosurgical management.