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The benefits of stereoscopic vision in robotic-assisted performance on bench models
1Department of Surgical Oncology and Technology, Imperial College London, St. Mary's Hospital, London, England, United Kingdom. yaron.munz@ic.ac.uk
Background:
Previous studies have failed to establish clear advantages for the use of stereoscopic visualization systems in minimal-access surgery. The aim of this study was to objectively assess whether stereoscopic visualization improves performance on bench models using the da Vinci robotic system.
Methods:
Eleven surgeons carried out a series of four tasks. Positional data streamed from the da Vinci system was analyzed by means of a previously validated custom-designed software-package. An independent blinded observer scored errors. Statistical analysis included the Wilcoxon signed rank test. A p < 0.05 was deemed significant.
Results:
We found significant improvements in all tasks and for all parameters (p < 0.05). In addition, a significantly lower number of errors was scored using the stereoscopic mode as compared to the standard two-dimensional image (p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Robotic-assisted performance on bench models is more efficient and accurate using stereoscopic visualization.
