Virtual Reality Mastoidectomy as Precadaver Training for Novices: A Randomized Crossover Study

Area of Science:

• Surgical Education
• Medical Simulation
• Otolaryngology Training

Background:

• Novice surgical trainees require effective training methods for complex procedures like mastoidectomy.
• Virtual reality (VR) simulation offers a potential alternative or supplement to traditional cadaveric dissection (CD).

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare cognitive load between VR simulation and CD for mastoidectomy.
• To evaluate the impact of training order on cognitive load and cadaveric performance.
• To assess VR's effectiveness in improving subsequent cadaveric skills.

Main Methods:

• A randomized crossover study involving 24 novice surgical trainees.
• Participants performed mastoidectomy in both VR and CD settings, with randomized training order (VR-first or CD-first).
• Cognitive load measured via auditory reaction time (relative reaction time - RRT); cadaveric performance assessed using the Modified Welling Scale.

Main Results:

• Significantly lower cognitive load observed in VR (26% RRT increase) compared to CD (60% RRT increase).
• Training order did not influence cognitive load; progressive increase in RRT noted in both modalities.
• VR-first training led to higher cadaveric performance scores (9.50) versus CD-first (4.96).

Conclusions:

• VR mastoidectomy training effectively reduces cognitive load for novice learners.
• VR simulation enhances subsequent cadaveric dissection performance, complementing traditional training.
• VR is a cognitively optimized precadaver modality that improves early learning efficiency in otolaryngology.