Improvement of arthroscopic surgical performance using a new wide-angle arthroscope

BackgroundWe have developed a new arthroscope with a field of view of 150{degrees}. This requires less motion to maneuver, and the optical error is decreased. It also improves how novices learn arthroscopy. We hypothesized that surgical performance using this arthroscope is superior to a conventional arthroscope. This study tested the hypothesis using motion analysis and a new validated parameter, \"dimensionless squared jolt\" (DSJ).\n\nMethodsWe compared the surgical performance using between the wide-angle and the conventional arthroscope among 14 novice orthopedic residents who performed three standardized tasks three times with each arthroscope. The tasks simulated arthroscopic rotator cuff repair surgical skills. Their motion was analyzed using an optical tracking system. The differences in performance parameters, such as time taken, average acceleration of the hands (m/s2), the number of movements, and the total path length (m) including DSJ between the two arthroscopes, were investigated using paired t-tests.\n\nResultsAll the estimated values for the tasks using the 150{degrees} arthroscope were lower than those for the 105{degrees} arthroscope. There were statistically significant differences in performance between the two arthroscopes only for DSJ (p = 0.014) and average acceleration (p = 0.039).\n\nConclusionsDSJ and average acceleration are reliable parameters for representing hand-eye coordination. The surgical performance of novice arthroscopists was better with the new wide-angle arthroscope than with the conventional arthroscope.