Validation of Tabletop Microscopes for Microsurgery Simulation and Training.

PURPOSE: Oral and maxillofacial surgery residency programs are increasingly adopting microsurgery as a core element of training; however, many barriers exist that limit trainees' proficiency. The purpose of this study was to perform a validation of 2 tabletop microscope simulations for their use as a training tool, which could serve as an affordable, alternative method to traditional microsurgery training methods. METHODS: A prospective, single-institution, multidepartmental validation study was performed. Two microscopes (monocular digital [DM] and binocular stereo [SM]) were used to perform anastomoses on simulation vessels including a silastic tube and a chicken thigh femoral artery. A microsurgeon panel was selected from a population of microsurgery faculty and fellows at Michigan Medicine (Ann Arbor, MI) to perform the anastomoses. The surgeons each performed 4 anastomoses, using each microscope with each vessel, and subsequently completed a survey evaluating the simulation. Predictor variables were the microscope and the vessel. Primary outcome variable was readiness for use, which was defined as the simulation's ability to incorporate into a microsurgical training curriculum in its current state. Secondary outcome variables included realism, value, usefulness, relevance, difficulty, and cost. Paired t tests were used to compare responses. Alpha was set to 0.05. RESULTS: Seven microsurgeons performed the simulation from the departments of oral and maxillofacial surgery (n = 5), plastic and reconstructive surgery (n = 1), and otolaryngology (n = 1). For readiness, the SM simulation required either no modification (n = 4) prior to implementation into a microsurgery curriculum or minimal modification (n = 3), compared to the DM simulation which required significant modification (n = 4) or extensive modification and re-evaluation (n = 3) (P = .002). The SM demonstrated a greater mean realism score than the DM for depth perception (5.00 vs 1.57, P < .001), field of view (4.57 vs 3.57, P = .038), lighting (5.00 vs 4.00, P = .038), and clarity (5.00 vs 3.86, P = .030). There was no statistically significant difference between SM and DM in value, usefulness, relevance, difficulty, or cost. CONCLUSIONS: Tabletop microscopes demonstrate considerable promise in the future of microsurgical education. The SM simulation was a realistic simulation that may be ready for use in a microsurgical curriculum. Future studies are required to demonstrate the efficacy of this simulation on microsurgical trainees.

Quality Improvement and Reporting Systems: What the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Should Know.

Health care is an inherently dangerous environment, and patient safety should be an explicit goal of oral and maxillofacial surgery. Important components of a safety program include a nonpunitive safety culture, the implementation of patient safety practices, standardized incident reporting and adverse event analysis, regular self-assessment, and internal and external benchmarking. Implementation of a safety program requires the strong commitment of leadership and the engagement and empowerment of all employees. Oral and maxillofacial surgery can become the model dental specialty by implementing patient safety programs for office-based surgery. The programs could then be used by all dental practitioners performing oral surgery in the office.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Temporomandibular Joints of Children.

PURPOSE: To identify magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of temporomandibular joints (TMJs) in healthy children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study of children younger than 18 years undergoing MRI of the head for non-autoimmune indications at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (Atlanta, GA). Patients with congenital or acquired conditions associated with potential TMJ pathology were excluded. Medical records and MRIs were reviewed to document demographic data. Three neuroradiologists independently recorded specific predetermined MRI findings of the TMJ. The outcome variable was the presence or absence of TMJ findings at MRI. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were used to identify associations (significant at P ≤ .05). RESULTS: Eighty-seven patients (54 boys, 33 girls; mean age, 11.2 yr) met the inclusion criteria. Seventy percent of TMJs had condylar enhancement, 64% of joints had glenoid marginal synovial enhancement, 56% had condylar margin synovial enhancement, and 19% had condylar T1 hyperintense signal. There were no joints with condylar erosion, condylar volume loss, or effusion. Findings of normal marrow development were decreased condylar enhancement and greater condylar T1 signal with increased age. CONCLUSION: This study found a greater than 60% prevalence of synovial enhancement in healthy children. In a healthy child, MRI findings of TMJ synovial enhancement should be carefully correlated with a clinical evaluation.