The Role of Haptic Feedback in Laparoscopic Simulation Training
Introduction
Laparoscopic virtual reality simulators are becoming a ubiquitous tool in resident training and assessment. These devices provide various levels of realism, including haptic (or force) feedback. The cost of these useful training tools is a significant deterrent to their acquisition for many programs, and the presence of force feedback adds significantly to the expense. Laparoscopy VR (Immersion Medical, Gaithersburg, MD) is a new generation of haptic-enhanced virtual reality simulator, which offers basic skills similar to the FLS drills, as well as full procedure simulation. The tasks preinstalled in the device can be adjusted over a wide range of scenarios to help focus the training experience. The simulator software also tracks multiple relevant performance metrics, including time to perform tasks, instrument path length, dexterity, missed objects, tissue damage, and grasping tension. Previous work demonstrated that performance on the Laparoscopy VR simulator correlated with surgical skill level as measured by two basic FLS tasks [1].
Limited data exist assessing the value of haptics in skill development. Utilizing the Laparoscopy VR, we hypothesized that the presence of force feedback in the simulated environment would allow superior trainee performance compared with performance of the same basic skills tasks in a non-haptic model.
Section snippets
Methods
Laparoscopy VR software contains modules for simulating essential laparoscopic skills, as well as full procedural skills. The essential skill modules are designed to resemble the FLS drills, and each has three preset levels of difficulty. For the purposes of our study, only the Peg Transfer and Pattern Cutting drills were utilized.
Ten medical students with minimal laparoscopic experience voluntarily participated in the study. All students were right-handed. They were evaluated initially for
Results
All 10 medical students successfully completed the study. Baseline FLS scores were similar among all participants.
Individual task analysis did not show any significant difference in performance for the simpler Peg Transfer drill. Task completion time, instrument path length, and error quantification demonstrated similar values in the haptic and non-haptic environments at all 3 levels of difficulty (Fig. 2).
For the more complex Cutting Drill, the time to complete the tasks was significantly
Discussion
Virtual reality simulators are widely recognized as valuable adjuncts for surgical resident training outside the operating room 2, 3. The American College of Surgeons Residency Review Committee has mandated that all residencies implement skills laboratory curricula by 2008. Basic and Comprehensive Education Institutes, which have been established throughout the country, are required to have box trainers and virtual reality simulators as minimally acceptable equipment [4]. FLS completion is
References (11)
- et al.
The changing face of surgical education: simulation as the new paradigm
J Surg Res
(2008) - et al.
Virtual-reality-based laparoscopic surgical training: The role of simulation fidelity in haptic feedback
Comput Aided Surg
(2004) - Panait L, Bell RL, Roberts KE, et al. Laparoscopic Operative Skills are Predicted by Virtual Reality Simulator...
- et al.
Proving the effectiveness of virtual reality simulation for training in laparoscopic surgery
Ann Surg
(2007) - et al.
A systematic review of skills transfer after surgical simulation training
Ann Surg
(2008)
Cited by (175)
Design and evaluation of UltRASim: An immersive simulator for learning ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia basic skills
2024, Computers and Graphics (Pergamon)Robotics in Medical Science
2024, Mechanical Engineering in Biomedical Applications Bio-3D Printing, Biofluid Mechanics, Implant Design, Biomaterials, Computational Biomechanics, Tissue MechanicsCyber-physical framework for laparoscopic surgery
2024, RIAI - Revista Iberoamericana de Automatica e Informatica Industrial