Summary
Black needles were compared to silver needles for quantity of reflected light and ease of laparoscopic visualization. The black needles reflected less light and were thus more easily visualized during laparoscopic surgical procedures. The silver needles resembled a mirror in that they reflected incident light from both the light source and light from the surrounding tissue.
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McKernan, J.B., Bendel, L., Freeman, L. et al. Improved visibility of black surgical needles in laparoscopic surgery. Surg Endosc 7, 424–426 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00311735
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00311735