A Virtual Reality Simulator for 30° Laparoscopic Camera Navigation Training

Psychometric and Kinematic Evaluation of Early Practice

Abstract

Minimally invasive surgery requires precise visuomotor coordination under indirect vision, fulcrum-mediated instrument motion, and constrained camera handling. Training in 30° laparoscopic camera navigation is clinically relevant but remains difficult to deliver at scale because conventional systems are equipment-dependent and often provide limited objective feedback. The objective of this simulator-based study was to evaluate SECMA, a portable virtual reality (VR) simulator for 30° laparoscopic camera-navigation training, through the joint analysis of structured user-perception data and simulator-derived kinematic performance metrics. The study did not involve clinical trials, patient data, clinical outcomes, or intraoperative performance assessment. The system integrates a mechanically informed interface, real-time stereoscopic visualization, standardized target-centering and horizon-alignment tasks, and continuous six-degree-of-freedom telemetry. Participants with heterogeneous laparoscopic experience completed repeated practice trials and an 11-item ordinal questionnaire. User-perception data were analyzed using a multidimensional graded-response item response theory model, yielding three latent dimensions: perceived realism, utility/interface/feedback, and attitudes toward adoption. Kinematic data were summarized into temporal, spatial, and angular descriptors and analyzed using mixed-effects models. Early practice was associated with shorter completion time and improved path efficiency, while expert–novice differences remained evident. Among the latent perception dimensions, utility/interface/feedback was the most consistently measured and showed the clearest association with path efficiency. These findings support SECMA as a portable, telemetry-rich simulator for laparoscopic camera-navigation training and illustrate how psychometric and kinematic evidence can be integrated to evaluate digital surgical simulators beyond face realism alone.