Video-assisted surgery represents more than a loss of three-dimensional vision.
BACKGROUND
Loss of depth cues is a major challenge facing surgeons performing video-assisted surgery (VAS). Whether the degradation of image quality from a video-displayed image plays a direct role in performance of VAS has not been studied.


METHODS
Twenty-four volunteer novice subjects were randomized to binocular direct-vision (BDV), monocular direct-vision (MDV), or video-imaging (VI) conditions. Each subject completed ten trials of a simple cutting task in a box trainer using standard laparoscopic instruments.


RESULTS
VI subjects made significantly fewer correct incisions than both of the other groups for all trials. Differences between the BDV and MDV groups did not reach statistical significance. Improvement in performance was more rapid in the BDV group than in either the MDV or VI groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The degradation of image quality with VI has a detrimental influence on VAS performance above and beyond the loss of binocular vision.
Gallagher
Anthony G
AG
Emory Endosurgery Unit, Department of Surgery, H-124, Emory University School of Medicine, 1364 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Ritter
E Matt
EM
Lederman
Andrew B
AB
McClusky
David A
DA
Smith
C Daniel
CD
D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003463:Cues; D003867:Depth Perception; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D020535:Video-Assisted Surgery