Learning the skills needed to perform shoulder arthroscopy by simulation.

INTRODUCTION

Simulation for arthroscopy helps surgical trainees develop their surgery skills in a safe environment. This teaching technique has become more widespread in recent years because of the need to provide surgeons in training with an alternative to the current methods. We hypothesized that a resident in surgery could acquire the skills needed to perform arthroscopic shoulder surgery by working on a simulator.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study was conducted over a 4-month period from June to September 2016. All the surgeons and residents in our department participated in the study. We recorded each participant's age, sex, dominant hand, and video gaming experience. We used the Arthro Mentor™ simulator from Simbionix (now 3D Systems). Testing was carried out at the start and end of training to evaluate the participant's skills and their progression. The changes were evaluated statistically.

RESULTS

Fourteen surgeons were included in the study. They were split into two groups: controls and residents. There was a statistically significant improvement in the intern group between the overall pre-test score and the overall post-test score. There was no significant improvement in the overall score of the control group between the pre-test and post-test.

DISCUSSION

For surgeons in training, shoulder arthroscopy simulation helps them acquire the skills needed to perform arthroscopy such as hand-eye coordination, triangulation and the ability to work in three-dimensions based on two-dimensional visual information. We believe that the benefit of simulation resides in learning the skills needed to perform a surgical procedure, not in learning the procedure itself.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III-case-control study.