Laparoscopic surgical skill evaluation with motion capture and eyeglass gaze cameras: A pilot study.

Abstract

An eyeglass gaze camera and a skeletal coordinate camera without sensors attached to the operator's body were used to monitor gaze and movement during a simulated surgical procedure. These new devices have the potential to change skill assessment for laparoscopic surgery. The suitability of these devices for skill assessment was investigated. Six medical students, six intermediate surgeons, and four experts performed suturing tasks in a dry box. The tip positions of the instruments were identified from video recordings. Performance was evaluated based on instrument movement, gaze, and skeletal coordination. Task performance time and skeletal coordinates were not significantly different among skill levels. The total movement distance of the right instrument was significantly different depending on the skill level. The SD of the gaze coordinates was significantly different depending on skill level and was less for experts. The expert's gaze stayed in a small area with little blurring. The SD of gaze point coordinates correlates with laparoscopic surgical skill level. These devices may facilitate objective intraoperative skill evaluation in future studies.