Atrial myxoma presenting with orthostatic hypotension in an 84-year-old Hispanic man: a case report

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A randomised trial of observational learning from 2D and 3D models in robotically assisted surgery

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.BACKGROUND: Advances in 3D technology mean that both robotic surgical devices and surgical simulators can now incorporate stereoscopic viewing capabilities. While depth information may benefit robotic surgical performance, it is unclear whether 3D viewing also aids skill acquisition when learning from observing others. As observational learning plays a major role in surgical skills training, this study aimed to evaluate whether 3D viewing provides learning benefits in a robotically assisted surgical task. METHODS: 90 medical students were assigned to either (1) 2D or (2) 3D observation of a consultant surgeon performing a training task on the daVinci S robotic system, or (3) a no observation control, in a randomised parallel design. Subsequent performance and instrument movement metrics were assessed immediately following observation and at one-week retention. RESULTS: Both 2D and 3D groups outperformed no observation controls following the observation intervention (ps < 0.05), but there was no difference between 2D and 3D groups at any of the timepoints. There was also no difference in movement parameters between groups. CONCLUSIONS: While 3D viewing systems may have beneficial effects for surgical performance, these results suggest that depth information has limited utility during observational learning of surgical skills in novices. The task constraints and end goals may provide more important information for learning than the relative motion of surgical instruments in 3D space.This research was supported by an Intuitive Surgical grant awarded to Dr G Buckingha

Endoscopic breast surgery: where are we now and what might the future hold for video-assisted breast surgery?

International audienceEndoscopic surgery has been extensively used for many surgical conditions and has gained acceptance as an alternative and less invasive approach to open surgery. However, minimal access endoscopic techniques have yet to be translated into mainstream clinical practice in breast surgery. More recently, technical innovations have made it feasible to conduct endoscopic breast cancer resection, with or without breast reconstruction, through wounds inconspicuously hidden in the axilla and periareolar region. Several clinical trials have now been conducted to demonstrate technical feasibility, assess safety and provide follow up data regarding oncological success of endoscopic breast surgery. This primary aim was to critically evaluate the literature in order to determine the oncological and cosmetic efficacy of endoscopic breast surgery. A systematic review was conducted using Medline, Ovid and Embase to identify original data from studies of endoscopic breast surgery. Initial results have demonstrated that endoscopic breast surgery is safe and technically feasible. Early data suggests that it is possible to achieve disease control with high rates of overall survival and low rates of local relapse recurrence and/or distant metastases. However, the absence of level I randomised clinical evidence currently precludes a recommendation that endoscopic breast cancer surgery is capable of achieving equivalent oncological outcomes to open surgery