Correspondence: Florence Rogister (florence.rogister@chuliege.be)
Background
The aim of this study was to assess the predictive value of the Vandenberg and Kuse Mental Rotation Test (MRT) [1] on performance of novice medical students for manipulation of a nasal endoscope on a cadaveric model [2,3]. Regarding spatial abilities, MRT is one of the most widely used [1]. The aim is to identify correct reproductions of a 3-dimensional reference figure.
Materials and methods
We randomly selected 39 medical students who had never handled a nasal endoscope and subjected them to the MRT. General information including experience in manual, technical, or surgical activities and testing of anatomical knowledge were collected [4]. They were then asked to perform series of cadaveric model exercises using a nasal endoscope. Their cadaver performance was evaluated by 2 blinded observers. We used an adapted version of the 7-point scale established by Lindquist et al [5,6]. This is a standardized Global Rating Scale using a 5-point Likert-type scale with different dimensions (installation, control of the camera, quality of the exposure, tremors, control of hands movements, quality of the manipulations, and completion of the requested task). The overall score is calculated as the sum of the scores from the 7 subdimensions.
Results
We found that medical students with higher MRT score had significantly increased endoscopic sinus performance (P=.0002 using multivariate regression adjusted for specialty choice, previous surgical exposure, and anatomy knowledge). Higher anatomy score was also associated with better endoscopic sinus performance (P=.0141). Other parameters had no impact on endoscopic sinus performance (surgical orientation, previous surgical clerckship, previous sinus surgery experience, surgical assistance experience : P > .05).
Conclusions
The score obtained on the MRT was correlated with the practical performance of manipulating the nasal endoscope in cadaver. It could therefore be a useful spatial ability tool for directing targeted training in rhinology.
Acknowledgements
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this abstract
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