Evaluation of operative imaging techniques in surgical education.
BACKGROUND
Certain open surgical procedures are difficult to observe, and poor visualization of the surgical field results in a compromised teaching environment for residents and medical students. In an attempt to improve the visualization of the open surgical field, we performed an open surgical procedure while viewing it via a laparoscope mounted to the side of the operating room table with an alpha port. These images were then compared in a blinded fashion with images from a boom-mounted camera positioned above the surgical field and a head-mounted camera positioned on the operating surgeon.


METHODS
Participants viewed all 3 images from a remote location in a blinded, random fashion. All participants then completed a Likert questionnaire evaluating each image.


RESULTS
Fourteen participants were in the study. The alpha port/laparoscope image was superior to the head-cam image in all 8 categories. The alpha port/laparoscope image was superior to the sky-cam image in 4 of 8 categories. All 14 participants felt the alpha port/laparoscope image would benefit surgical education


CONCLUSIONS
Use of a laparoscope mounted via an alpha port to an operating room table provides superior images during open surgery. This provides a unique and affordable way to teach residents and medical students operative procedures that are otherwise difficult to view.
Kothari
Shanu N
SN
Department of Surgery and Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery, Medical College of Virginia Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298, USA.
Broderick
Timothy J
TJ
DeMaria
Eric J
EJ
Merrell
Ronald C
RC
D000328:Adult; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D020706:Laparoscopes; D008297:Male; D016105:Parathyroidectomy / Q000193:education*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013337:Students, Medical; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000193:education*