Is Virtual Reality Surgical Performance Influenced by Force Feedback Device Utilized?

Objective: The study objectives were to assess if surgical performance and subjective assessment of a virtual reality simulator platform was influenced by changing force feedback devices. Design: Participants used the NeuroVR (formerly NeuroTouch) simulator to perform 5 practice scenarios and a realistic scenario involving subpial resection of a virtual reality brain tumor with simulated bleeding. The influence of force feedback was assessed by utilizing the Omni and Entact haptic systems. Tier 1, tier 2, and tier 2 advanced metrics were used to compare results. Operator subjective assessment of the haptic systems tested utilized seven Likert criteria (score 1 to 5). Setting: The study is carried out at the McGill Neurosurgical Simulation Research and Training Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, Montreal, Canada. Participants: Six expert operators in the utilization of the NeuroVR simulator platform. Results: No significant differences in surgical performance were found between the two haptic devices. Participants significantly preferred the Entact system on all 7 Likert criteria of subjective assessment. Conclusions: Our results show no statistical differences in virtual reality surgical performance utilizing the two bimanual haptic devices tested. Subjective assessments demonstrated that participants preferred the Entact system. Our results suggest that to maximize realism of the training experience educators employing virtual reality simulators may find it useful to assess expert opinion before choosing a force feedback device.