A comparison of laparoscopic procedures performed by novice medical students using 8K ultra-high-definition/two-dimensional and 2K high-definition/three-dimensional monitors.

Purpose: 8K Ultra-high-definition (UHD) imaging has been developed in accordance with the progression of imaging technologies. We evaluated laparoscopic procedures performed by novice medical students using 2K/two-dimensional (2D), 2K/three-dimensional (3D) and 8K/2D monitors, with a particular focus on depth perception.

Methods: Nine medical students were enrolled. They performed two tasks using 2K/2D, 2K/3D and 8K/2D monitors. In Task 1, they were asked to grasp three metal rods with forceps using each hand. In Task 2, they were asked to grasp a metal rod with forceps held in the right hand, pass the metal rod through a metal ring and transfer it to their left hand.

Results: In Task 1, when performed with the dominant hand, the procedures performed using 2K/3D took a significantly shorter time than those performed using 8K/2D (P = 0.04). However, there was no significant difference among the three groups in the time required for procedures performed by the non-dominant hand. In Task 2, the procedure time with 2K/2D was significantly longer than that with 2K/3D or 8K/2D (P = 0.02).

Conclusion: 2K/3D showed superior utility to 8K/2D for performing forceps procedures using the dominant hand. However, when the movement of both hands was coordinated ("bi-hand coordination"), the laparoscopic procedures were performed almost as deftly with 8K/2D and 2K/3D.