Visuo-spatial ability and speed of execution of a complex surgical task

OBJECTIVE: Visuo-spatial ability (VSA) plays a role in preoperative planning, anatomical navigation and decision-making during surgery. This study aimed to test hypothesis that a correlation link existed between VSA and the speed of execution of a complex surgical task. METHOD: The study was carried out on 49 students just before starting their surgical internship, at Lille Medical Faculty in October 2023. They answered a biographical questionnaire including confounding factors on VSA, then completed the Mental Rotation Test - A (MRT-A). They were timed on two separate tasks: conforming a titanium plate to mandibular angles on a 3D printed model, and excising a lesion from the helix of a silicone cast ear model, followed by a reconstruction using a "small ear" flap. RESULTS: of 0.814. CONCLUSION: A correlation was found between VSA and the speed of a conformation of titanium plate on mandibular angle, but no link was established between speed and performance of a complex surgical task on flapless excision suture workshop.