Abstract
PURPOSE: The opportunities for surgical training and practice in the operating room are in decline due to limited resources, increased efficiency demands, growing complexity of the cases, and concerns for patient safety. Virtual reality (VR) offers a novel opportunity to enhance surgical training and provide complementary three-dimensional experience that has been usually available in the operating room. Since VR allows viewing and manipulation of realistic 3D models, the VR environment could enhance anatomical and topographical knowledge, in particular. In this study, we explored whether incorporating VR anatomy training improves novices' performance during mastoidectomy over traditional methods. METHODS: Thirty medical students were randomized into two groups and taught mastoidectomy in a structured manner. One group utilized a VR temporal bone model during the training while the other group used more traditional materials such as anatomy books. After the training, all participants completed a mastoidectomy on a 3D-printed temporal bone model under expert supervision. Performance during the mastoidectomy was evaluated with multiple metrics and feedback regarding the two training methods was gathered from the participants. RESULTS: The VR training method was rated better by the participants, and they also needed less guidance during the mastoidectomy. There were no significant differences in operational time, the occurrence of injuries, self-assessment scores, and the surgical outcome between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Our results support the utilization of VR training in complete novices as it has higher trainee satisfaction and leads to at least as good results as the more traditional methods.