Poster Session 5: Training, Education, AI

Introduction: Instrument motion tracking in surgical simulation is beneficial as a teaching and evaluation tool.Recently, our group developed a synchronized motion-tracking simulation system for flexible ureteroscopy (fURS).This study aimed to compare kinematic parameters between novices and experts during fURS simulation.Methods: Our system consisted of a 3D-printed kidney model within a URS simulation box.Motion tracking sensors were attached to the scope's body and the distal tip of a ureteroscope.The body sensor tracked the surgeon's movement while the tip sensor tracked the location and intrarenal movement of the scope tip.A potentiometer was attached to the control lever to measure deflection, tracked as a percentage of maximum.The task was to map the kidney by traversing all its calyxes.Results: We recruited 10 participants, six PGY2s and two PGY3s (novices), and two endourology fellows (experts).The mean URS score was 10 for novices and 16 for experts (p=0.04).The mean path length for the intrarenal tip was 2182±613 mm for novices and 1164±290 mm for experts (p=0.03), while its mean speed was 12.2±2.1mm/sand 9.8±0.3mm/s respectively (p=0.01).Visualizing the tip path showed that novices traversed less renal area, especially for lateral calyxes (Figure 1A).Visualizing scope body movement showed that experts moved in a predictable wing-shaped pattern, while novices moved relatively randomly (Figure 1B).The average lever deflection magnitude was 5.7±2.4% for novices compared to 10.8±0.67% for experts (p=0.001).Conclusions: This is the first study that incorporated intrarenal tip tracking during fURS motion analysis.Our findings set the stage for adaptive and personalized learning, as novices have access to timely feedback and can understand the visual differences in tip path and scope body movement by comparing them to experts' results.Our preliminary findings emphasize that experts show limited yet predictable scope body movement, greater lever deflection, and effective tip movement.