A Virtual Reality Training Curriculum for Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery

Area of Science:

• Surgical Education
• Medical Simulation
• Laparoscopic Surgery

Background:

• Competency-based curricula (CBC) enhance surgical performance.
• Virtual reality (VR) simulators offer a safe environment for surgical training.
• Laparoscopic sigmoid colectomy is an advanced procedure requiring specialized skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and validate a VR-based CBC for laparoscopic sigmoid colectomy.
• To assess the construct validity of VR simulator metrics.
• To analyze the learning curve for novice surgeons.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter randomized study involving novice, intermediate, and experienced surgeons.
• Validation of VR simulator metrics (LAP Mentor) using second attempts across experience groups.
• Assessment of medial dissection, lateral dissection, anastomosis, and full procedure modules.
• Learning curve analysis for novice surgeons through repeated practice.

Main Results:

• Validity evidence was found for time, movements, and path length in medial dissection, lateral dissection, and full procedures.
• Anastomosis module showed validity for time and path length.
• Novice surgeons demonstrated significant performance improvement with repetition.
• Benchmark criteria for experienced surgeons were established.

Conclusions:

• A validated VR-based CBC for laparoscopic colorectal surgery was developed.
• This VR training approach has the potential to reduce the learning curve in real-world surgical practice.