randomly assigned to a 2D or 3D group. Their surgeons were timed in
their performance of vesicourethral anastomosis, "which is technical-
ly demanding and may include a number of technical difficulties con-
sidered in laparoscopic surgeries," the researchers write.
While the 3D group's mean completion times were not significantly
shorter than the 2D group's (26.7 versus 30.1 minutes, respectively)
and there was little difference in their self-reported fatigue, the 3D
group showed higher ability and satisfaction levels.
"Using a 3D imaging system in LRP may have only limited advan-
tages in decreasing operation times over 2D imaging systems," say the
researchers "However, the 3D system increased surgical feasibility
and decreased surgeons' effort levels without inducing significant
fatigue." (tinyurl.com/pv3tlub)
3. 3D is faster, even among larger patients. A retrospective review of
147 total laparoscopic hysterectomy cases by physicians at the
Bagcilar Education and Research Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey, found
no difference in complication rates between cases conducted with 3D
and 2D visualization systems.
The mean time it took to complete the surgeries, on the other hand,
showed a significant difference: 134.2 minutes for 2D operations and
116.8 minutes for 3D ones. Plus, "the operation time among obese
patients was significantly shorter in those in the 3D laparoscopy
group than those in the 2D group," write researchers. Their study
appeared in the Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics in October
2014. (tinyurl.com/o96adh7)
4. The glasses are actually quite effective. Sure, your OR looks like a
Hollywood photoshoot when your surgical team's wearing the polar-
ized lenses to see 3D effects onscreen, but it turns out the glasses are
the most effective technology, at least for now, according to a study
appearing in the August 2014 issue of Surgical Endoscopy.
Researchers at Technical University Munich in Germany rated the
performance of 48 participants with varying levels of laparoscopic
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O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | February 2015
