Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 27, 2025
Simulator Training for Endovascular Neurosurgery
Published on: May 6, 2020
Neurosurgical performance between experts and trainees: Evidence from drilling task
Jonathan Chainey1, Cian J O'Kelly1, Michael J Kim2
1Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Background:
Lumbar laminectomy is a common neurosurgery that requires precise manipulation of power drills. We examined the fine movement controls of novice neurosurgeons in drilling tasks and compared its accuracy to expert surgeons' performance.
Methods:
Four experts and three novice neurosurgeons performed a lumbar laminectomy on a three-dimensional printed spine model. Scene video and surgeons' eye movements were recorded. Independent sample t-Tests were conducted on the number of jump, total fixation durations, pre-jump fixation durations, post-jump fixation durations and jump distances over novice and expert surgeons.
Results:
No statistically significant differences were recorded in terms of total fixations and pre-jump fixation durations. However, novices had more jumping events, greater jump distances and longer post-jump fixation durations when compared to expert neurosurgeons.
Conclusion:
Differences in movement accuracy and eye measures were found between expert and novice neurosurgeons during a simulated microscopic lumbar laminectomy. A more comprehensive understanding of surgeon's fine movement control mechanism and eye-hand coordination in microsurgery is essential for us before building an enhanced training protocol for surgical residents in neurosurgery.
