Effect of three training programs on surgical performance in single-port laparoscopic surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of three training methodologies on the acquisition of psychomotor skills for laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS), using straight and articulating instruments. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted with subjects randomly divided into three groups, who performed a specific training for 12 days using three laparoscopic tasks in a laparoscopic simulator. Group-A trained in conventional laparoscopy setting using straight instruments and in LESS setting using both straight and articulating instruments. Group-B trained in LESS setting using straight and articulating instruments, whereas Group-C trained in LESS setting using articulating instruments. Participants' performance was recorded with a video-tracking system and evaluated with 12 motion analysis parameters (MAPs). RESULTS: All groups obtained significant differences in their performance in most of the MAPs. Group-C showed an improvement in nine MAPs, with a high level of technical competence. Group-A presented a marked improvement in bimanual dexterity skills. CONCLUSIONS: Training in LESS surgery using articulating laparoscopic instruments improves the quality of skills and allows smoother learning curves.

OBJETIVO: Evaluar el efecto de tres métodos de entrenamiento en la adquisición de habilidades psicomotrices para la cirugía laparoendoscópica por puerto único (LESS, laparoendoscopic single-site surgery) utilizando instrumental recto y articulado. MÉTODO: Se realizó un estudio prospectivo con sujetos divididos aleatoriamente en tres grupos, quienes realizaron un entrenamiento específico durante 12 días utilizando tres tareas laparoscópicas en un simulador laparoscópico. El grupo A entrenó en el entorno laparoscópico convencional con instrumentos rectos, y en el entorno LESS con instrumentos rectos y articulados. El grupo B entrenó en el entorno LESS con instrumentos rectos y articulados. El Grupo C entrenó en el entorno LESS con instrumentos articulados. El desempeño de los participantes se registró con un sistema de seguimiento en video y fue evaluado con 12 parámetros de análisis de movimiento (MAP, motion analysis parameters). RESULTADOS: Todos los grupos obtuvieron diferencias significativas en su desempeño para la mayoría de los MAP. El grupo C mostró una mejora en nueve MAP, con un alto nivel de competencia técnica. El grupo A mostró una marcada mejora en la habilidad de destreza bimanual. CONCLUSIONES: El entrenamiento en cirugía LESS con instrumentos articulados mejora la calidad de las habilidades adquiridas y permite curvas de aprendizaje más suaves.

Face, content, and construct validity of the virtual immersive operating room simulator for training laparoscopic procedures.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this work is to present the face, content, and construct validation of the virtual immersive operating room simulator (VIORS) for procedural training of surgeons' laparoscopic psychomotor skills and evaluate the immersive training experience. METHODS: The VIORS simulator consists of an HMD Oculus Rift 2016 with a visor on a 1080 × 1200 pixel OLED screen, two positioning sensors with two adapted controls to simulate laparoscopic instruments, and an acrylic base to simulate the conventional laparoscopic setup. The immersion consists of a 360° virtual operating room environment, based on the EndoSuite at Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez, which reproduces a configuration of equipment, instruments, and common distractions in the operating room during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedure. Forty-five surgeons, residents, and medicine students participated in this study: 27 novices, 13 intermediates, and 5 experts. They completed a questionnaire on the realism and operating room immersion, as well as their capabilities for laparoscopic procedural training, scored in the 5-point Likert scale. The data of instrument movement were recorded and analyzed using 13 movement analysis parameters (MAPs). The experience during training with VIORS was evaluated through NASA-TLX. RESULTS: The participants were enthusiastic about the immersion and sensation levels of the VIORS simulator, with positive scores on the realism and its capabilities for procedural training using VIORS. The results proved that the VIORS simulator was able to differentiate between surgeons with different skill levels. Statistically significant differences were found in nine MAPs, demonstrating their construct validity for the objective assessment of the procedural laparoscopic performance. At cognitive level, the inversion experience proves a moderate mental workload when the laparoscopic procedure is carried out. CONCLUSION: The VIORS simulator has been successfully presented and validated. The VIORS simulator is a useful and effective device for the training of procedural laparoscopic psychomotor skills.

Diabetes, Active Disease, and Afternoon Serum Cortisol Levels Predict Cushing's Disease Mortality: A Cohort Study.

CONTEXT: Cushing's disease (CD) is a life-threating disease, with increased mortality in comparison with the general population. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) in CD patients. We also analyzed independent risk factors related to increased mortality. DESIGN: We conducted a longitudinal cohort study in a 3rd level specialty center, from 1979 to 2018, in patients with CD. RESULTS: From 1375 cases with a pathology diagnosis of pituitary adenoma, 191 cases had the confirmed diagnosis of CD (14%). A total of 172 patients completed follow-up, with a mean age at diagnosis of 33 ±â€…11 years, female predominance (n = 154, 89.5%), majority of them with microadenoma (n = 136, 79%), and a median follow-up of 7.5 years (2.4-15). Eighteen patients (10.5%) died, 8 of them (44%) were with active CD, 8 (44%) were under remission, and 2 (11%) were under disease control. Estimated all-cause SMR = 3.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.9-4.8, P < 0.001. Cardiovascular disease was the main cause of death (SMR = 4.2, 1.5-9.3, P = 0.01). Multivariate Cox regression models adjusted for potential cofounders showed that diabetes (HR = 5.2, IC 95% 1.8-15.4, P = 0.002), high cortisol levels after 1600 hours at diagnosis (3.4, 2.3-7.0, P = 0.02), and active CD (7.5, 3.8-17.3, P = 0.003) significantly increased the risk of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Main cause of CD mortality was cardiovascular disease. Main risk factors for mortality were uncontrolled diabetes, persistently high cortisol levels after 1600 hours at diagnosis, and active disease at last follow-up.

Construct validity of the SurgForce system for objective assessment of laparoscopic suturing skills.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic surgery requires a new set of skill to be learned by the surgeons, of which the most relevant is tissue manipulation. Excessive forces applied to the tissue can cause rupture during manipulation or ischemia when confronting both sides of the tissue. The aim of this study is to establish the construct validity of the SurgForce system for objective assessment of advanced laparoscopic skills, based on the force signal generated during suture tasks, and the development of force parameters for evaluating tissue handling interaction. METHODS: The SurgForce system, a tissue handling training device that measures dynamic force, was used to capture the force generated by surgeons with different levels of laparoscopic experience. For construct validity, 37 participants were enrolled in this study: 19 medical students, 12 residents of surgical specialties and 6 expert surgeons. All participants performed an intracorporeal knotting suture task over a synthetic tissue pad with a laparoscopic box-trainer. The force performance of the participants was analyzed using 11 force-based parameters with the application of the SurgForce system. Statistical analysis was performed between novice, intermediate, and expert groups using a Kruskal-Wallis test, and between the pairs of groups using a Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS: Overall, 9 of the 11 force-related parameters showed significant differences between the three study groups. Results between the pairs of groups presented significant differences in 5 force parameters proposed. Construct validity results demonstrated that the SurgForce system was able to differentiate force performance between surgeons with different levels of laparoscopic experience. CONCLUSION: The SurgForce system was successfully validated. This force system showed its potential to measure the force exerted on tissue for objective assessment of tissue handling skills in suturing tasks. Furthermore, its compact design allows the use of this device in conventional laparoscopic box-trainers.

Design of a Dynamic Force Measurement System for Training and Evaluation of Suture Surgical Skills.

The aim of this study is to present the SurgeForce system, a tissue handling training device for analysis of dynamic force applied to the tissue and objective assessment of basic surgical skills during the suture process. The SurgeForce system consists of a mechanical base formed by two platforms joint with three stainless steel springs and a three axial digital accelerometer attached to the upper platform, which detects the dynamic force caused by a surgeon when performing a suture task over a synthetic tissue pad. Accelerometer data is sent to a control unit where preprocessing to transform the raw data into a force signal is done, and then, the force signal is sent to a computer application, which register the force exerted over the synthetic tissue pad. For validation, 17 participants (6 surgeons and 11 medical students) performed three simple interrupted sutures with knot tying using the SurgeForce system. Ten force-based metrics were proposed to evaluate their performance during the suturing task. Results of the validation showed statistical differences in 8 of 10 force-based parameters for assessment of basic surgical skills during the suture task. The SurgeForce system demonstrated its capacity to differentiate force-based performance of surgeons and medical students. The SurgeForce system has been successfully validated. This system was able to distinguish force performance between experts and novices, showing its potential to distinguish surgeons with basic suture skills from those who are not yet prepared.

Surgical treatment of Scheuermann´s disease by the posterior approach. Case series / Tratamento cirúrgico da doença de Scheuermann por acesso posterior. Série de casos / Tratamiento quirúrgico de la enfermedad de Scheuermann por vía posterior. Serie de casos

OBJECTIVE: To describe the results of surgical treatment of Scheuermann's disease by the posterior approach. METHOD: A descriptive, retrospective, longitudinal study in which patients with Scheuermann's disease, treated surgically by the posterior approach at the Hospital de Traumatologia y Ortopedia [Hospital for Traumatology and Orthopedics] "Lomas Verdes" IMSS. The Cobb method was used to measure the kyphosis in all the patients, of T5-T12. The surgical technique used was vertebral shortening by the Ponte osteotomy technique, at the apex of the deformity, accompanied by transpedicular instrumentation and posterior arthrodesis. RESULTS: Five patients were included; three men and two women, with an average age of 16.6 years. The initial average kyphosis was 76º, which was corrected to 42º after surgery. Blood loss was 590 ml, with a surgery time of 3 hours. Three patients were submitted to neurophysiological monitoring. No neurological lesion was found. There was no loss of correction at 6 months of evolution. CONCLUSIONS: The vertebral shortening technique with posterior instrumentation eliminates the use of the anterior approach to release the anterior longitudinal ligament. Osteotomies by the Ponte technique make the spine more flexible, and together with pedicular instrumentation, correct the deformity and preserve the correction over time. .

OBJETIVO: Descrever os resultados do tratamento cirúrgico da doença de Scheuermann por acesso posterior. MÉTODO: Estudo descritivo, retrospectivo e longitudinal, no qual foram incluídos pacientes com doença de Scheuermann tratados cirurgicamente por acesso posterior no Hospital de Traumatologia y Ortopedia "Lomas Verdes" IMSS. O método de Cobb foi utilizado para medir a cifose em todos os pacientes de T5-T12. A técnica cirúrgica utilizada foi encurtamento vertebral pela técnica de osteotomia de Ponte no ápice da deformidade, acompanhada por instrumentação transpedicular e artrodese posterior. RESULTADOS: Foram incluídos cinco pacientes, três homens e duas mulheres, com média de idade de 16,6 anos. A cifose média inicial era de 76º e foi corrigida para 42º depois da cirurgia. O sangramento foi 590 ml, com tempo cirúrgico de 3 horas. Três pacientes foram submetidos à monitoração neurofisiológica. Não foi encontrada nenhuma lesão neurológica. Não houve perda da correção aos 6 meses de evolução. CONCLUSÕES: A técnica de encurtamento vertebral com instrumentação posterior elimina o emprego do acesso anterior para liberar o ligamento longitudinal anterior. A osteotomias pela técnica de Ponte flexibilizam a coluna e, em conjunto com a instrumentação pedicular, corrigem a deformidade e mantêm a correção no decorrer do tempo. .

OBJETIVO: Describir los resultados del tratamiento quirúrgico de la enfermedad de Scheuermann por vía posterior. MÉTODO: Es un estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo longitudinal en el cual se incluyeron pacientes con enfermedad de Scheuermann manejados quirúrgicamente por vía posterior en el Hospital de Traumatología y Ortopedia "Lomas Verdes" IMSS. Se utilizó el método de Cobb para la medición de la cifosis en todos los pacientes de T5-T12. La técnica quirúrgica utilizada fue el acortamiento vertebral mediante osteotomías de Ponte en el ápice de la deformidad, acompañada de instrumentación transpedicular y artrodesis posterior. RESULTADOS: Se incluyeron cinco pacientes, tres hombres y dos mujeres, con un promedio de edad 16,6 años. La cifosis inicial promedio fue de 76º y corrigió a 42º después de la cirugía. El sangrado promedio fue de 590 ml con un tiempo quirúrgico de 3 horas. Se utilizó monitoreo neurofisiológico en tres de los pacientes. No se presentó ninguna lesión neurológica. No hubo pérdida de la corrección a los 6 meses de evolución. CONCLUSIONES: La técnica de acortamiento vertebral con instrumentación posterior omite el abordaje anterior para la liberación del ligamento longitudinal anterior. Las osteotomías tipo Ponte flexibilizan la columna y junto con la instrumentación pedicular logran corregir la deformidad y mantenerla a través del tiempo. .