What are Micro Forceps?

Micro forceps are tools for operations that require the microscopic manipulation of tissues. They are smaller than those used to assist infants through birth canals, and even smaller than used to dissect preserved animals in science class. Micro forceps are similar to tweezers, but instead of locking on to a hair and pulling it from its follicle, micro forceps have diversified to produce any number of refined functions for microscopic surgeries. Constructed from noncorrosive and hypoallergenic materials such as stainless steel and titanium, modern forceps are designed for ease of use during various forms of surgery: tweezing, cutting, suturing, suctioning, lighting, and video recording.

Today’s modern forceps help to improve the physician’s control over surgical procedures. The type of micro forceps refers to the grip length of its handles. Some are designed to move off at an angle to let the surgeon better approach a problem area. The size of the micro forceps refers to the opening distance between working ends, and the width, the smallest measurement, refers to the thickness of the tips, suggesting the dimensions of the small objects to be manipulated. Some micro forceps are designed to work with minimal effort, articulating with only the grasp or release of their handles for placing or removing foreign bodies during operations. New handle designs transmit less vibrations to critical tissues.

With the advent of microsurgery, there has been a proliferation of engineered medical devices to ease a doctor’s difficulty in manipulating tissues during surgery. Micro surgical forceps with scissor ends can cut tissues away precisely during surgical operations to expose problem areas. Tips of suture forceps have been modified as needles that deploy surgical thread for suturing tissues.

Dissection can be achieved precisely with the use of micro jaws that automatically grasp and hold tissue. Micro-jaw forceps are tweezers that taper to micro dimensions at the tips, to capture and move small features. They can be blunt like tweezers. They are excellent for peeling and manipulating thicker and more fibrotic membranes.

Micro forceps can be employed to both remove polyps and cauterize the remaining tissue in the colon. In eye surgery for macular degeneration, retinal tissue that comes loose can be lifted and reattached. During these surgeries, micro forceps can carry optical fibers to illuminate the surgical area and bring digital images back to surgeons operating on a microscopic scale.