• Masahiko Wanibuchi, Katsuya Komatsu, Yukinori Akiyama, Takeshi Mikami, and Nobuhiro Mikuni.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
• World Neurosurg. 2018 Jan 1; 109: e105-e109.

BackgroundThree-dimensional (3D) graphics are used in the medical field, especially during surgery. Although 3D monitoring is useful for medical education, its effectiveness needs to be objectively evaluated. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of 3D monitoring in the surgical education of medical students.MethodsA questionnaire on high-definition 3D monitoring was given to fifth-year medical students in a 6-year program. Sixty-four students wore polarized glasses and observed a microsurgical operation through a 3D monitor. The questionnaire contained questions on stereopsis, neurosurgical interest, visual impact, comprehension of surgical anatomy and procedures, optical sharpness, active learning enhancement, and eye exhaustion. These parameters were evaluated on a 5-point scale that spanned negative and positive scores.ResultsThe average score of each parameter ranged from 3.13 to 3.78, except for eye exhaustion, which was 0.88. The items for which the students reported positive perceptions (scores of 4 or 5) were stereopsis (67.2% of students), neurosurgical interest (62.5%), visual impact and optical sharpness (60.9% for both), active learning enhancement (57.8%), and comprehension of surgical anatomy (50.0%) and procedures (42.2%). By contrast, only eye exhaustion was evaluated negatively (26.6%).ConclusionThe use of 3D monitoring systems in medical education offers the advantage of stereopsis and contributes to surgical training. However, improvements are required to decrease eye exhaustion.Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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