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Tremor Assessment during Virtual Reality Brain Tumor Resection
Samaneh Siyar1, Hamed Azarnoush1, Saeid Rashidi2
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Tehran, Iran; Neurosurgical Simulation and Artificial Intelligence Learning Centre, Department of Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Skilled neurosurgeons exhibit less physiological tremor than novices during simulated tumor resection using virtual reality. This technology can assess surgeon skill and aid in resident training.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Medical Simulation
- Human Factors Engineering
Background:
- Physiological tremor assessment is crucial for understanding surgical expertise.
- Virtual reality (VR) platforms offer a novel method for quantitative tremor analysis.
- Distinguishing surgeon skill levels through objective metrics is an ongoing challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of a haptic-feedback VR simulator in quantifying physiological tremor during simulated neurosurgical tumor resection.
- To compare tremor characteristics between a group of skilled neurosurgeons and a group of novice trainees.
- To explore the potential of VR-based tremor analysis for neurosurgical education and skill assessment.
Main Methods:
- A VR simulator with haptic feedback was used for a simulated tumor resection task.
- Participants included 23 skilled neurosurgeons/senior residents and 92 novice junior residents/medical students.
- Power spectral density analysis quantified tremor from instrument motion and applied force data, with statistical t-tests comparing groups.
Main Results:
- VR-based spectral analysis successfully quantified physiological tremor during the simulated task.
- The skilled neurosurgeon group demonstrated significantly less physiological tremor compared to the novice group in 3 out of 7 tumor resection cases.
- Consistent reduction in tremor was observed across all tumor types for the skilled group.
Conclusions:
- This study presents the first application of VR for quantifying physiological tremor in a simulated neurosurgical tumor resection.
- VR tremor assessment holds potential for objective evaluation of psychomotor skills in neurosurgical residents.
- The findings support VR simulation as a valuable tool for surgical training and defining surgeon expertise.
