Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 3, 2025
Simulator Training for Endovascular Neurosurgery
Published on: May 6, 2020
Gender Differences in Surgical Case Volume Among Neurosurgery Residents
Kyle M Rei1, Vedhika Reddy1, Sumayya Mohammed2
1Neurological Surgery, California University of Science and Medicine, Colton, USA.
Objectives:
Gender differences in surgical training opportunities, measured by case volume, have been demonstrated in the fields of otolaryngology and ophthalmology. We hypothesize that this gender disparity is not present among neurosurgery residents. This study compares median female and male case volumes stratified by postgraduate year (PGY) level for U.S. neurosurgery residents.
Methods:
This retrospective analysis included case log data from two southern California neurosurgery residency training programs, Riverside University Health System (RUHS) and Desert Regional Medical Center (DRMC), from 2015 to 2021. For each PGY level, gender differences in case volumes were summarized using median, SD, and two-sided t-tests.
Results:
Among 47 (19.1% female) neurosurgery residents, there were no significant gender differences in case volumes across any PGY levels. Female residents had greater median surgical cases during PGY-1 (median (SD), female 107.0 (13.1) vs male 102.0 (24.3); p=0.841) and PGY-7 (female 282.5 (17.7) vs male 246 (60.9); P=0.424), while male residents had greater median case volumes for all other PGY levels.
Conclusions:
Although previous studies have found significant gender differences in case volumes among surgical residents in otolaryngology and ophthalmology, case log data from two neurosurgery residency programs in southern California, RUHS and DRMC, does not reflect this gender disparity at any PGY level.
