The training in thoracoscopic surgery: a comparative study and bibliometric analysis

Thoracoscopic surgery training is a critical area in medical education, and understanding the trends and focus areas in this field is vital for enhancing training programs and guiding future research. The study aimed to retrospectively analyze the effects of two training methods for new students in actual thoracoscopic surgery and to summarize the development and trends of research in thoracoscopic surgery training through a bibliometric analysis of the relevant academic literature.

72 cases of thoracic surgery students were retrospectively analyzed and divided into observation group (n=36) and control group (n=36) according to different periods. The trainees in the control group underwent conventional instruction via book-based mapping of the chest anatomy, and those in the observational group were educated via preoperative interpretation of chest computed tomography (CT) 3D reconstruction combined with review of the related surgical videos and thoracoscopic procedures. The efficacies of these two methods were evaluated and assessed upon completion of the training session. Additionally, a comprehensive literature search was conducted on the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) on May 27, 2024. VOSviewer, CiteSpace and the R-based online toolkit Shiny were employed for the bibliometric analysis, which facilitated the visualization of collaborations, keyword co-occurrences, and emerging research trends.

The intraoperative performance of the trainees in the observational group was significantly better than that of those in the control group in practice, including positioning and directing the shaft of the thoracoscope, interference with other devices, conversion of the near and far views, correct orientation of the lens, ensuring the operating point projected at the center of the video, cooperation with the operator, image clarity, stability of the video, the angle of the video camera lens and adjustment of the lens angle, among others (all P values <0.05). A total of 956 articles published from 1992 to 2024 were included in the study. These publications were contributed by 5,217 authors from 2,603 institutions across 289 countries. Hansen Henrik Jessen was identified as one of the most prolific authors. The University of Copenhagen emerged as the most productive institution. The journal Annals of Thoracic Surgery was identified as a prominent publisher in this field. The keyword "experience" was the most frequently occurring term.

Preoperative interpretation of chest CT 3D reconstruction combined with the review of surgical videos for training the camera holders in thoracic surgery can greatly improve the performance and accelerate the training of the assistant during the procedure. Additionally, this bibliometric analysis highlight the importance of clinical experience and the integration of new surgical techniques and training methods. Future research should focus on advanced training methods and simulation-based learning to accelerate skill acquisition and proficiency.