Utilization of Face-to-Face Vestibular Support Groups: A Comparison to Online Group Participation.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared the utilization and outcomes of face-to-face (F2F) vestibular support groups and online support communities (OSC) for individuals with vestibular disorders. METHODS: We distributed a 31-question anonymous electronic survey through the Vestibular Disorders Association (VeDA) to F2F participants, categorizing user involvement in F2F, OSCs, or both and assessed impact on medical decision-making, psychosocial benefits, and goals achieved. RESULTS: The F2F cohort consisted of 97 individuals comprising primarily of non-Hispanic White women (mean age = 57 years, SD ± 14 years) with diagnoses including persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (19%), Meniere's disease (15%), and vestibular neuritis (13%). Most participants were diagnosed by an otolaryngologist (65%) and attended F2F meetings monthly or less frequently (78%). The OSC group comprised of 551 individuals, primarily of non-Hispanic White women, but was younger in age (mean age = 50 years, SD ± 13 years). OSC participants notably engaged more, with 36% participating on a daily basis and 32% multiple times a week. F2F participants were older (mean age 57 years vs 50 years, P < .001) and more commonly referred by medical professionals (22% F2F vs 6% OSC, P < .001). Both groups had similar achieved goals, including hearing from others with the same diagnosis (84% vs 89%, P > .05) and similar impact on medical decision-making (75% vs 78%, P > .05). More F2F participants reported increased development of coping skills (79% F2F vs 69% OSC, P = .037). OSC participants typically found the group via an online search (75%), compared to 51% for F2F. OSC participants had higher daily engagement (36%) compared to F2F (1%). CONCLUSION: F2F users are older and more commonly referred by medical professionals. Despite less frequent engagement, F2F participants reported similar influences on achieved goals, medical decision-making, and impact on psychosocial benefits. These findings highlight the importance of both F2F and OSC support groups for individuals with vestibular disorders.

Quantitative noninvasive measurement of cerebrospinal fluid flow in shunted hydrocephalus.

OBJECTIVE: Standard MRI protocols lack a quantitative sequence that can be used to evaluate shunt-treated patients with a history of hydrocephalus. The objective of this study was to investigate the use of phase-contrast MRI (PC-MRI), a quantitative MR sequence, to measure CSF flow through the shunt and demonstrate PC-MRI as a useful adjunct in the clinical monitoring of shunt-treated patients. METHODS: The rapid (96 seconds) PC-MRI sequence was calibrated using a flow phantom with known flow rates ranging from 0 to 24 mL/hr. Following phantom calibration, 21 patients were scanned with the PC-MRI sequence. Multiple, successive proximal and distal measurements were gathered in 5 patients to test for measurement error in different portions of the shunt system and to determine intrapatient CSF flow variability. The study also includes the first in vivo validations of PC-MRI for CSF shunt flow by comparing phase-contrast-measured flow rate with CSF accumulation in a collection burette obtained in patients with externalized distal shunts. RESULTS: The PC-MRI sequence successfully measured CSF flow rates ranging from 6 to 54 mL/hr in 21 consecutive pediatric patients. Comparison of PC-MRI flow measurement and CSF volume collected in a bedside burette showed good agreement in a patient with an externalized distal shunt. Notably, the distal portion of the shunt demonstrated lower measurement error when compared with PC-MRI measurements acquired in the proximal catheter. CONCLUSIONS: The PC-MRI sequence provided accurate and reliable clinical measurements of CSF flow in shunt-treated patients. This work provides the necessary framework to include PC-MRI as an immediate addition to the clinical setting in the noninvasive evaluation of shunt function and in future clinical investigations of CSF physiology.

Surgical management of pediatric spinal aneurysmal bone cysts: patient series.

BACKGROUND: Aneurysmal bone cysts (ABCs) are rare, highly vascular osteolytic bone lesions that predominantly affect pediatric populations. This report evaluates the clinicopathological data of pediatric patients with spinal ABCs. The medical records for all patients at Children's Hospital Los Angeles with biopsy-proven ABCs of the spine between 1998 and 2018 were evaluated. OBSERVATIONS: Seventeen patients, 6 males and 11 females, were identified. The mean age at surgery was 10.4 years (range, 3.5-20 years). The most common presenting complaint was pain at the lesion site 16/17 (94%), followed by lower-extremity weakness 8/17 (47%). Resection and intralesional curettage were performed in all patients. Three (18%) of 17 patients underwent selective arterial embolization prior to resection. Spinal stability was compromised in 15 of 17 patients (88%), requiring instrumented fusion. Five (29%) of the 17 patients received additional therapy including radiation, calcitonin-methylprednisolone, or phenol. Four (23.5%) of 17 patients experienced a recurrence, and the mean time to recurrence was 15 months. The postoperative follow-up ranged from 6 to 108 months (median, 28 months). Reoperation occurred after an average of 35 months. At the recent follow-up, patients were free of disease. LESSONS: Gross-total resection by intralesional curettage with case-dependent instrumented spinal fusion for instability remains an effective strategy for managing pediatric spinal ABCs. Long-term follow-up is necessary to detect tumor recurrence.

Cochlear implantation in Waardenburg syndrome: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Waardenburg syndrome (WS) is a genetic condition associated with moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss. The aim of this review is to characterize cochlear implant (CI) outcomes in patients with a confirmed clinical diagnosis of WS. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. REVIEW METHODS: All reports describing defined sets of patients with WS who underwent CI and subsequent evaluation of clinical outcomes were included. To harmonize outcome data between studies that used different measures, a binary variable Favored CI was developed to capture success of procedures (1 = favored, 0 = unfavored) based on original authors' description, commentary, discussion, and conclusions. Expert reviewers independently reviewed and selected articles, extracted data and scored Favored CI values. Synthetic and analytic meta-analyses were implemented using standard analytic techniques. RESULTS: Twenty articles meeting inclusion criteria provided data on 192 WS patients and 210 CIs. The mean age at CI was 3.8 years (95% confidence interval [95%CI]; 3.1-4.5 years), and the mean duration of follow up was 5.2 years (95% CI; 3.4-7.0 years). Surgical complications were rare (11/210 implants, 5.2%) where gusher was the most common complication. CIs yielded favorable hearing outcomes in 90% (95% CI; 84-94%) of cases, and appear successful for those with temporal bone anomalies (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative synthesis of the study data demonstrates that in the majority of patients with WS, CI yield favorable hearing outcomes and low rates of surgical complications. CI has shown to provide clinical benefits in patients with WS.

Machine Learning Analysis of Physical Activity Data to Classify Postural Dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: Machine learning (ML) analysis of biometric data in non-controlled environments is underexplored. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether ML analysis of physical activity data can be employed to classify whether individuals have postural dysfunction in middle-aged and older individuals. METHODS: A 1 week period of physical activity was measured by a waist-worn uni-axial accelerometer during the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey sampling period. Features of physical activity along with basic demographic information (42 variables) were paired with ML models to predict the success or failure of a standard 30 s modified Romberg test during which participants had their eyes closed and stood upon a 3-inch compliant surface. Model performance was evaluated by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC), balanced accuracy, and F1-score. RESULTS: The cohort was comprised of 1625 participants ≥40 years (median age 61, IQR 51-71). Approximately half (47%) were diagnosed with postural dysfunction having failed the binarized (pass/fail) scoring mechanism of the modified Romberg exam. Five ML models were trained on the classification task, achieving AUC values ranging from 0.67 to 0.73. The support vector machine (SVM) and a gradient-boosted model, XGBoost, achieved the highest AUC of 0.73 (SD 0.71-0.75). Age was the most important variable for SVM classification, followed by four features that evaluated accelerometer counts at various thresholds, including those delineating total, moderate, and moderate-vigorous activity. CONCLUSIONS: ML analysis of accelerometer-derived physical activity data to classify postural dysfunction in middle-aged and older individuals is feasible in real-world environments such as the home. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 133:3529-3533, 2023.

Virtual Versus In-Person Head and Neck Physical Examination Training in Medical Students: A Pilot Assessment.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of virtual and in-person head and neck physical examination training events on medical student confidence in performing examination maneuvers and seeking mentorship from otolaryngology faculty and residents. METHODS: Training events were held with first-year medical student volunteers in 2020 (in-person) and 2021 (virtual). Participants in both cohorts were given didactics on head and neck cancer, trained to perform a head and neck physical examination, and demonstrated their clinical skills to otolaryngology faculty and residents. Pre- and post-training surveys were utilized to assess the following outcomes: participant head and neck cancer knowledge, confidence in performing examination maneuvers, and confidence in seeking mentorship in otolaryngology. Differences in outcomes between training settings were assessed by comparing participant survey responses pre- and post- training. RESULTS: Both in-person and virtual training modalities improved participant confidence in performing the physical examination. There was no significant difference in the degree of improvement between training types. In-person training significantly increased participant confidence in seeking mentorship from otolaryngology faculty and residents (P = .003), while virtual training did not (P = .194). CONCLUSION: Virtual training modalities are feasible methods of teaching the head and neck physical examination. Instruction through a video conferencing platform has the potential to be incorporated into traditional in-person medical education in a permanent fashion. This pilot study can inform future studies directly comparing in-person and virtual physical examination training modalities.

Artificial Intelligence and Laryngeal Cancer: From Screening to Prognosis: A State of the Art Review.

OBJECTIVE: This state of the art review aims to examine contemporary advances in applications of artificial intelligence (AI) to the screening, detection, management, and prognostication of laryngeal cancer (LC). DATA SOURCES: Four bibliographic databases were searched: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, and IEEE. REVIEW METHODS: A structured review of the current literature (up to January 2022) was performed. Search terms related to topics of AI in LC were identified and queried by 2 independent reviewers. Citations of selected studies and review articles were also evaluated to ensure comprehensiveness. CONCLUSIONS: AI applications in LC have encompassed a variety of data modalities, including radiomics, genomics, acoustics, clinical data, and videomics, to support screening, diagnosis, therapeutic decision making, and prognosis. However, most studies remain at the proof-of-concept level, as AI algorithms are trained on single-institution databases with limited data sets and a single data modality. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: AI algorithms in LC will need to be trained on large multi-institutional data sets and integrate multimodal data for optimal performance and clinical utility from screening to prognosis. Out of the data types reviewed, genomics has the most potential to provide generalizable models thanks to available large multi-institutional open access genomic data sets. Voice acoustic data represent an inexpensive and accurate biomarker, which is easy and noninvasive to capture, offering a unique opportunity for screening and monitoring of LA, especially in low-resource settings.

Development of an ultrafast brain MR neuronavigation protocol for ventricular shunt placement.

OBJECTIVE: Advancements in MRI technology have provided improved ways to acquire imaging data and to more seamlessly incorporate MRI into modern pediatric surgical practice. One such situation is image-guided navigation for pediatric neurosurgical procedures, including intracranial catheter placement. Image-guided surgery (IGS) requires acquisition of CT or MR images, but the former carries the risk of ionizing radiation and the latter is associated with long scan times and often requires pediatric patients to be sedated. The objective of this project was to circumvent the use of CT and standard-sequence MRI in ventricular neuronavigation by investigating the use of fast MR sequences on the basis of 3 criteria: scan duration comparable to that of CT acquisition, visualization of ventricular morphology, and image registration with surface renderings comparable to standard of care. The aim of this work was to report image development, implementation, and results of registration accuracy testing in healthy subjects. METHODS: The authors formulated 11 candidate MR sequences on the basis of the standard IGS protocol, and various scan parameters were modified, such as k-space readout direction, partial k-space acquisition, sparse sampling of k-space (i.e., compressed sensing), in-plane spatial resolution, and slice thickness. To evaluate registration accuracy, the authors calculated target registration error (TRE). A candidate sequence was selected for further evaluation in 10 healthy subjects. RESULTS: The authors identified a candidate imaging protocol, termed presurgical imaging with compressed sensing for time optimization (PICO). Acquisition of the PICO protocol takes 25 seconds. The authors demonstrated noninferior TRE for PICO (3.00 ± 0.19 mm) in comparison with the default MRI neuronavigation protocol (3.35 ± 0.20 mm, p = 0.20). CONCLUSIONS: The developed and tested sequence of this work allowed accurate intraoperative image registration and provided sufficient parenchymal contrast for visualization of ventricular anatomy. Further investigations will evaluate use of the PICO protocol as a substitute for CT and conventional MRI protocols in ventricular neuronavigation.

Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: Implications for the Otolaryngologist.

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a triad of headaches, visual changes, and papilledema in the absence of a secondary cause for elevated intracranial pressure. There is an association with obesity, and the incidence is rising in parallel with the obesity epidemic. Sometimes these patients present to an otolaryngologist with complaints like tinnitus, dizziness, hearing loss, and otorrhea or rhinorrhea from cerebrospinal fluid leak. IIH diagnosis in conjunction with neurology and ophthalmology, including neuroimaging and lumbar puncture with opening pressure, is key to managing of this condition. Otolaryngologists should recognize IIH as a possible diagnosis and initiate appropriate referrals and treatment.

Exploring Vestibular Assessment in Patients with Headache and Dizziness.

Patients often report symptoms of headache and dizziness concomitantly. Symptoms of dizziness can be explored with a comprehensive vestibular assessment, allowing for the investigation of central and peripheral vestibular system contributions to symptoms of dizziness. Patients who report both symptoms of headache and dizziness demonstrate abnormalities of the vestibular system which can be measured quantitatively. Completion of comprehensive vestibular testing can help to guide diagnosis and strategies for intervention.

The Role of Educational Podcast Use Among Otolaryngology Residents.

OBJECTIVE: Medical podcasts are becoming increasingly available; however, it is unclear how these new resources are being used by trainees or whether they influence clinical practice. This study explores the preferences and experiences of otolaryngology residents with otolaryngology-specific podcasts, and the impact of these podcasts on resident education and clinical practice. METHODS: An 18-question survey was distributed anonymously to a representative junior (up to post-graduate year 3) and senior (post-graduate year 4 or greater) otolaryngology residents at most programs across the US. Along with demographic information, the survey was designed to explore the preferences of educational materials, podcast listening habits and motivations, and influence of podcasts on medical practice. Descriptive statistics and student t-tests were used to analyze the results. RESULTS: The survey was distributed to 198 current otolaryngology residents representing 94% of eligible residency programs and was completed by 73 residents (37% response rate). Nearly 3-quarters of respondents reported previous use of otolaryngology podcasts, among which 83% listen at least monthly. Over half of residents changed their overall clinical (53%) and consult (51%) practice based on podcast use. Residents rank-ordered listening to podcasts last among traditional options for asynchronous learning, including reading textbooks and watching online videos. CONCLUSIONS: While other asynchronous learning tools remain popular, most residents responding to this survey use podcasts and report that podcasts influence their clinical practice. This study reveals how podcasts are currently used as a supplement to formal otolaryngology education. Results from the survey may inform how medical podcasts could be implemented into resident education in the future.

Intractable Bleeding Following an Awake Bedside Injection Laryngoplasty in a Patient on KVAD ECMO.

INTRODUCTION: Awake injection laryngoplasty (IL) is becoming increasingly utilized in the inpatient setting, especially as a therapeutic option for patients with vocal fold immobility immediately following cardiothoracic surgery. While prior studies consistently demonstrate complication rates below 3%, significant bleeding has not been reported as a major complication in any awake IL case series. The objective of this report is to highlight a case of intractable bleeding following awake inpatient bedside IL in a patient on KVAD (Koji Takeda Ventricular Assist Device) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). METHODS: Case Report. RESULTS: A 24-year-old female admitted to the cardiac ICU for asystole was placed on KVAD ECMO for heart failure of unknown etiology. She was extubated and listed for cardiac transplant. On postoperative day 14, she underwent a left vocal fold injection at bedside to treat fold paralysis with a large glottic gap causing her complete aphonia, dysphagia, and chronic aspiration. Seven hours post procedure, the patient had to be reintubated due to intractable bleeding. A direct laryngoscopy was performed at bedside and continuous trickle of blood from the injection site at the superior posterior lateral surface of the vocal fold was stopped using a combination of epi-pledgets and hemostatic matrix. The same procedure had to be performed again due to further bleeding 2 days later and permanent hemostasis was achieved. During the week post injection, the patient required transfusion of 5 units of pRBC's. One month later the patient underwent successful orthotopic heart transplantation and was transferred from the ICU to a stepdown unit, and then a rehabilitation unit. No further IL hemorrhage occurred. CONCLUSION: Although a few studies have discussed the safety of IL in patients receiving anticoagulation, this case report demonstrates intractable bleeding requiring intubation and intervention to achieve hemostasis in a patient on KVAD ECMO. This report highlights the importance of weighing the risks and benefits of vocal fold injection in this patient population.

An Exploration of Online Support Community Participation Among Patients With Vestibular Disorders.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To formally document online support community (OSC) use among patients with vestibular symptoms and gain an appreciation for the perceived influence of participation on psychosocial outcomes and the impact on medical decision-making. STUDY DESIGN: Self reported internet-based questionnaire. METHODS: The Facebook search function was paired with a comprehensive list of vestibular diagnoses to systematically collect publicly available information on vestibular OSCs. Next, a survey was designed to gather clinicodemographic information, OSC characteristics, participation measures, perceived outcomes, and influence on medical decision-making. The anonymous instrument was posted to two OSCs that provide support for patients with general vestibular symptoms. RESULTS: Seventy-three OSCs were identified with >250,000 cumulative members and >10,000 posts per month. The survey was completed by 549 participants, a cohort of primarily educated middle-aged (median = 50, interquartile range 40-60), non-Hispanic white (84%), and female (89%) participants. The participants' most cited initial motivation and achieved goal of participants was to hear from others with the same diagnosis (89% and 88%, respectively). Daily users and those who reported seeing ≥5 providers before receiving a diagnosis indicated that OSC utilization significantly influenced their requested medical treatments (72% daily vs. 61% nondaily, P = .012; 61% <5 providers vs. 71% ≥5 providers P = .019, respectively). Most participants agreed that OSC engagement provides emotional support (74%) and helps to develop coping strategies (68%). Membership of ≥1 year was associated with a higher rate of learned coping skills (61% membership <1-year vs. 71% ≥1-year P = .016). CONCLUSIONS: The use of OSCs is widespread among vestibular diagnoses. A survey of two OSCs suggests these groups provide a significant source of peer support and can influence users' ability to interface with the medical system. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA Laryngoscope, 132:1835-1842, 2022.

Road to automating robotic suturing skills assessment: Battling mislabeling of the ground truth.

OBJECTIVE: To automate surgeon skills evaluation using robotic instrument kinematic data. Additionally, to implement an unsupervised mislabeling detection algorithm to identify potentially mislabeled samples that can be removed to improve model performance. METHODS: Video recordings and instrument kinematic data were derived from suturing exercises completed on the Mimic FlexVR robotic simulator. A structured human consensus-building process was developed to determine Robotic Anastomosis Competency Evaluation technical scores across 3 human graders. A 2-layer long short-term memory-based classification model used instrument kinematic data to automate suturing skills assessment. An unsupervised label analyzer (NoiseRank) was used to identify potential mislabeling of skills data. Performance of the long short-term memory model's technical skill score prediction was measured by best area under the curve over the training runs. NoiseRank outputted a ranked list of rated skills assessments based on likelihood of mislabeling. RESULTS: 22 surgeons performed 226 suturing attempts, which were broken down into 1,404 individual skill assessment points. Automation of needle entry angle, needle driving, and needle withdrawal technical skill scores performed better (area under the curve 0.698-0.705) than needle positioning (0.532) at baseline using all available data. Potential mislabels were subsequently identified by NoiseRank and removed, improving model performance across all domains (area under the curve 0.551-0.766). CONCLUSION: Using ground truth labels from human graders and robotic instrument kinematic data, machine learning models have automated assessment of detailed suturing technical skills with good performance. Further, an unsupervised mislabeling detection algorithm projected mislabeled data, allowing for their removal and subsequent improvement of model performance.

Survival Analysis Using Surgeon Skill Metrics and Patient Factors to Predict Urinary Continence Recovery After Robot-assisted Radical Prostatectomy.

BACKGROUND: It has been shown that metrics recorded for instrument kinematics during robotic surgery can predict urinary continence outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the contributions of patient and treatment factors, surgeon efficiency metrics, and surgeon technical skill scores, especially for vesicourethral anastomosis (VUA), to models predicting urinary continence recovery following robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Automated performance metrics (APMs; instrument kinematics and system events) and patient data were collected for RARPs performed from July 2016 to December 2017. Robotic Anastomosis Competency Evaluation (RACE) scores during VUA were manually evaluated. Training datasets included: (1) patient factors; (2) summarized APMs (reported over RARP steps); (3) detailed APMs (reported over suturing phases of VUA); and (4) technical skills (RACE). Feature selection was used to compress the dimensionality of the inputs. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The study outcome was urinary continence recovery, defined as use of 0 or 1 safety pads per day. Two predictive models (Cox proportional hazards [CoxPH] and deep learning survival analysis [DeepSurv]) were used. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Of 115 patients undergoing RARP, 89 (77.4%) recovered their urinary continence and the median recovery time was 166 d (interquartile range [IQR] 82-337). VUAs were performed by 23 surgeons. The median RACE score was 28/30 (IQR 27-29). Among the individual datasets, technical skills (RACE) produced the best models (C index: CoxPH 0.695, DeepSurv: 0.708). Among summary APMs, posterior/anterior VUA yielded superior model performance over other RARP steps (C index 0.543-0.592). Among detailed APMs, metrics for needle driving yielded top-performing models (C index 0.614-0.655) over other suturing phases. DeepSurv models consistently outperformed CoxPH; both approaches performed best when provided with all the datasets. Limitations include feature selection, which may have excluded relevant information but prevented overfitting. CONCLUSIONS: Technical skills and "needle driving" APMs during VUA were most contributory. The best-performing model used synergistic data from all datasets. PATIENT SUMMARY: One of the steps in robot-assisted surgical removal of the prostate involves joining the bladder to the urethra. Detailed information on surgeon performance for this step improved the accuracy of predicting recovery of urinary continence among men undergoing this operation for prostate cancer.

Innovations in Urologic Surgical Training.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review aims to summarize innovations in urologic surgical training in the past 5 years. RECENT FINDINGS: Many assessment tools have been developed to objectively evaluate surgical skills and provide structured feedback to urologic trainees. A variety of simulation modalities (i.e., virtual/augmented reality, dry-lab, animal, and cadaver) have been utilized to facilitate the acquisition of surgical skills outside the high-stakes operating room environment. Three-dimensional printing has been used to create high-fidelity, immersive dry-lab models at a reasonable cost. Non-technical skills such as teamwork and decision-making have gained more attention. Structured surgical video review has been shown to improve surgical skills not only for trainees but also for qualified surgeons. Research and development in urologic surgical training has been active in the past 5 years. Despite these advances, there is still an unfulfilled need for a standardized surgical training program covering both technical and non-technical skills.

Development and validation of an objective scoring tool to evaluate surgical dissection: Dissection Assessment for Robotic Technique (DART).

Purpose: Evaluation of surgical competency has important implications for training new surgeons, accreditation, and improving patient outcomes. A method to specifically evaluate dissection performance does not yet exist. This project aimed to design a tool to assess surgical dissection quality. Methods: Delphi method was used to validate structure and content of the dissection evaluation. A multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary panel of 14 expert surgeons systematically evaluated each element of the dissection tool. Ten blinded reviewers evaluated 46 de-identified videos of pelvic lymph node and seminal vesicle dissections during the robot-assisted radical prostatectomy. Inter-rater variability was calculated using prevalence-adjusted and bias-adjusted kappa. The area under the curve from receiver operating characteristic curve was used to assess discrimination power for overall DART scores as well as domains in discriminating trainees (≤100 robotic cases) from experts (>100). Results: Four rounds of Delphi method achieved language and content validity in 27/28 elements. Use of 3- or 5-point scale remained contested; thus, both scales were evaluated during validation. The 3-point scale showed improved kappa for each domain. Experts demonstrated significantly greater total scores on both scales (3-point, p< 0.001; 5-point, p< 0.001). The ability to distinguish experience was equivalent for total score on both scales (3-point AUC= 0.92, CI 0.82-1.00, 5-point AUC= 0.92, CI 0.83-1.00). Conclusions: We present the development and validation of Dissection Assessment for Robotic Technique (DART), an objective and reproducible 3-point surgical assessment to evaluate tissue dissection. DART can effectively differentiate levels of surgeon experience and can be used in multiple surgical steps.

A Novel Dissection Gesture Classification to Characterize Robotic Dissection Technique for Renal Hilar Dissection.

PURPOSE: Deconstruction of robotic surgical gestures into semantic vocabulary yields an effective tool for surgical education. In this study we disassembled tissue dissection into basic gestures, created a classification system, and showed its ability to distinguish between experts and novices. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Videos of renal hilum preparation during robotic assisted partial nephrectomies were manually reviewed to identify all discrete surgical movements. Identified dissection movements were classified into distinct gestures based on the consensus of 6 expert surgeons. This classification system was then employed to compare expert and novice dissection patterns during the renal hilum preparation. RESULTS: A total of 40 robotic renal hilum preparation videos were reviewed, representing 16 from 6 expert surgeons (100 or more robotic cases) and 24 from 13 novice surgeons (fewer than 100 robotic cases). Overall 9,819 surgical movements were identified, including 5,667 dissection movements and 4,152 supporting movements. Nine distinct dissection gestures were identified and classified into the 3 categories of single blunt dissection (spread, peel/push, hook), single sharp dissection (cold cut, hot cut and burn dissect) and combination gestures (pedicalize, 2-hand spread, and coagulate then cut). Experts completed 5 of 9 dissection gestures more efficiently than novices (p ≤0.033). In consideration of specific anatomical locations, experts used more peel/push and less hot cut while dissecting the renal vein (p <0.001), and used more pedicalize while dissecting the renal artery (p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Using this novel dissection gesture classification system, key differences in dissection patterns can be found between experts/novices. This comprehensive classification of dissection gestures may be broadly applied to streamline surgical education.