title: Evaluation of operative imaging techniques in surgical education.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery, Medical College of Virginia Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298, USA.
authors.forename: Shanu N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Kothari
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Broderick
authors.forename: Eric J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: DeMaria
authors.forename: Ronald C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Merrell
mesh_terms: 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*