Impact of heads-up display imaging on endoscopic task performance

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Medical Imaging
• Surgical Technology

Background:

• Heads-Up Imaging (HUD) goggles offer potential ergonomic benefits for endourologists.
• Ureteroscopic stone retrieval is a common urological procedure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of HUD display on task performance during ureteroscopic stone retrieval.
• To compare the efficiency of HUD goggles versus traditional monitors for stone retrieval.

Main Methods:

• A simulated caliceal model was used to test stone retrieval with a 2.2F stone basket.
• Three experienced and three novice operators performed trials using either HUD goggles or a monitor display.
• Task performance was measured by the time taken to capture a 5-mm calculus.

Main Results:

• Expert operators were significantly faster than novice operators, regardless of the display used.
• No statistically significant difference in stone capture performance was observed between HUD goggles and monitor display for any group.
• Task performance metrics showed no improvement with HUD goggles (P = 0.60 for experts, P = 0.77 for novices).

Conclusions:

• The Optiview Heads-Up goggle display system does not enhance task performance for ureteroscopic stone retrieval.
• Current HUD technology does not offer a demonstrable advantage in capturing stone fragments with baskets in this setting.