Comparison of minimally invasive surgical skills of neurosurgeons versus general surgeons: is there a difference in the first exposure to a virtual reality simulator?
OBJECTIVE
The increasing use of minimally invasive surgery, which has a longer learning curve compared to open surgery lets the necessity to develop training programs to improve endoscopic skills of trainees become ever clearer. The aim of this study was to compare the endoscopic skills of neurosurgeons versus general surgeons at first exposure to a virtual reality simulator.


METHODS
72 general surgeons who visited the 122nd Conference of the German Surgeons Society (DGCH in Munich 2005) and 35 neuroendoscopic surgeons, who visited the Third World Conference of the International Study Group of Neuroendoscopy (ISGNE in Marburg 2005) participated in this study. Each participant performed the basic module "clip application" on the virtual reality simulator (LapSim). All participants were given the same pretest instructions. Time to complete the task, error score and economy of motion were recorded.


RESULTS
The general surgeons performed the clip application faster, but with more errors than neuroendoscopic surgeons. However, the difference of both parameters was not significant. Both surgeon groups have a similar score for economy of motion.


CONCLUSIONS
Although neuroendoscopic surgeons were exposed to a foreign procedure and unfamiliar equipment, they were able to perform virtual endoscopy with similar accuracy as general surgeons, who are adapted to these endoscopic instruments and procedures and do these daily.
Department of Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany. hassan@med.uni-marburg.de
I
I
Hassan
K
K
Bin Dayne
C
C
Kappus
B
B
Gerdes
M
M
Rothmund
D
D
Hellwig
D000328:Adult; D004501:Education, Medical; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D009048:Motor Skills; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000193:education* / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000193:education* / Q000295:instrumentation; D013038:Specialization; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D014584:User-Computer Interface