# Revisiting sylvian fissure dissection - A preliminary investigation into surgical process modelling for evaluating surgical proficiency

## TL;DR

This study explores how to objectively assess surgical proficiency in neurosurgery by analyzing expert surgeons' techniques during a specific procedure.

## Contribution

The study introduces Surgical Process Models to identify and evaluate metrics of surgical proficiency using video recordings.

## Key findings

- 23 parameters were identified as potential indicators of surgical proficiency.
- Proficient surgeons showed efficient bimanual activity and minimal instrument changes.
- Performance metrics from video analysis can reliably assess surgical skills.

## Abstract

Understanding the factors that contribute to efficient surgical behaviour and the prevention of technical errors poses a significant challenge in neurosurgery. Current training curricula lack proficiency-centred training and objective tools to assess surgical performance, leading to considerable variability in surgical competencies and practices among neurosurgeons. This study aims to evaluate the determinants of proficient surgical behaviour exhibited by expert surgeons, with the goal of establishing a set of surgical performance metrics serving as a foundation for objective assessment and benchmarking of surgical performance.

Eight aneurysm clipping cases by three senior neurosurgeons were recorded via a surgical microscope. Surgeons' actions, workflow parameters, and adverse events during Sylvian fissure dissection were catalogued into Surgical Process Models (SPMs). Performance metrics were extracted, compared, and analysed using clustering analysis to assess proficiency differences.

23 parameters were identified as potential metrics of surgical proficiency. Proficient surgeons exhibited predominant bimanual activity, optimal non-dominant hand use, a limited tool repertoire, minimal instrument changes, and efficient microscope use with minimal adjustments. Despite varying instrument and microscope usage, practitioners achieved consistent outcomes across metrics, indicating similar surgical proficiency.

Findings illustrate that performance metrics derived from surgical video analysis can reliably contribute to the assessment of surgical skills. SPMs offer a structured understanding of the factors that contribute to surgical proficiency. This approach provides an optimal framework for objective assessment of performance metrics, demonstrating potential for automated and objective analysis of surgical performance.

•This study analysed key factors of proficient surgical behaviour in surgical recordings of expert surgeons, utilizing a surgical process model.•23 parameters were identified as potential metric of surgical proficiency.•Findings indicate that performance metrics obtained from surgical video analysis can serve as a reliable means for evaluating surgical skills.•SPM offers an objective framework for assessing performance metrics, underscoring its capacity for automated analysis of surgical proficiency.

This study analysed key factors of proficient surgical behaviour in surgical recordings of expert surgeons, utilizing a surgical process model.

23 parameters were identified as potential metric of surgical proficiency.

Findings indicate that performance metrics obtained from surgical video analysis can serve as a reliable means for evaluating surgical skills.

SPM offers an objective framework for assessing performance metrics, underscoring its capacity for automated analysis of surgical proficiency.