Telementoring System Assessment Integrated with Laparoscopic Surgical Simulators

Abstract

Laparoscopic simulators have emerged as effective tools for surgical training. The virtual environment is used in the simulator for the training of procedure-specific surgical skills. These simulators can be enhanced if an expert can provide guidance on every surgical step of the procedure, as well as provide feedback as each step is performed by the trainee. In pursuit of this objective, this study introduces a telementoring system designed to be seamlessly integrated with surgical simulators, thereby enabling remote training. The system incorporates guidance from an expert located remotely, utilizing audio-visual cues as a means of instruction. The visual cues consist of the virtual laparoscopic instruments, which is remote-controlled by the expert and superimposed onto the operative field displayed on the simulator's visualization screen. The system was evaluated for its technical performance, and a user study was conducted. The technical evaluation showed low latency to enable real-time communication, whereas the user study demonstrated effective transfer of surgical skills.