Force measurement platform for training and assessment of laparoscopic skills

Force measurement platform for training and assessment of laparoscopic skills

Horeman, T.
Rodrigues, S.P.
Jansen, F.W.
Dankelman, J.
Van den Dobbelsteen, J.J.

Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering

Biomechanical Engineering

2010-05-13

Background - To improve endoscopic surgical skills, an increasing number of surgical residents practice on box or virtual-reality (VR) trainers. Current training is mainly focused on hand–eye coordination. Training methods that focus on applying the right amount of force are not yet available. Methods - The aim of this project is to develop a system to measure forces and torques during laparoscopic training tasks as well as the development of force parameters that assess tissue manipulation tasks. The force and torque measurement range of the developed force platform are 0–4 N and 1 Nm (torque), respectively. To show the potential of the developed force platform, a pilot study was conducted in which five surgeons experienced in intracorporeal suturing and five novices performed a suture task in a box trainer. Results - During the pilot study, the maximum and mean absolute nonzero force that the novice used were 4.7 N (SD 1.3 N) and 2.1 N (SD 0.6 N), respectively. With a maximum force of 2.6 N (SD 0.4 N) and mean nonzero force of 0.9 N (SD 0.3 N), the force exerted by the experts was significantly lower.

minimally invasive surgery
laparoscopy
box trainers
force feedback
training methods

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:e81ef586-f0c9-40d6-acbd-f1ec8ea752e6

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-010-1096-9

Springer

0930-1794

Surgical Endoscopy, 24 (12), 2010

Institutional Repository

journal article

(c) 2010 The Author(s); Springer