A laparoscopic surgical skills assessment tool for veterinarians

Our aim in this study was to validate a test of laparoscopic surgical performance by determining the relation of scores from an objective structured assessment of technical skills performed in a canine abdominal model to experience and basic laparoscopic skills. The number of years the participants had performed rigid video-endoscopic procedures (VEP), using triangulation skills, correlated positively with both evaluators' total surgical performance scores for all three evaluation methods: global rating scale, visual analog scale (VAS) rating of overall performance, and operative component rating scale (OCRS). Experience of VEP without triangulation skills (i.e., flexible endoscopy, otoscopy) or video game experience did not correlate with surgical performance. A highly validated basic laparoscopic skills assessment (McGill University inanimate system for training and evaluation of laparoscopic skills, or MISTELS) score was strongly correlated with the VAS score for surgical performance and OCRS scores. Inter-rater reliability was high for the VAS and OCRS evaluation methods, and scores from the detailed OCRS method did not differ between evaluators. In conclusion, the surgical performance test correlated with VEP triangulation experience and basic laparoscopic skills. This type of test needs to be evaluated in a larger sample population including higher numbers of veterinary laparoscopic surgeons for further validation.