Background Although they may not replace standard training methods that use surgical microscopes,
smartphones equipped with high-resolution screens and high-definition cameras are
an attractive alternative for practicing microsurgical skills. They are ubiquitous,
simple to operate, and inexpensive. This study compared anastomoses of chicken femoral
vessels using a smartphone camera versus a standard operative microscope.
Methods Forty anastomoses of non-living chicken femoral vessels were divided into four groups.
A resident and an experienced microsurgeon performed anastomoses of femoral chicken
vessels with 8-0 and 10-0 sutures, using a smartphone camera and a surgical microscope.
The time to complete the anastomosis and the number of anastomosis errors were compared
using the Mann-Whitney U test.
Results The time taken to perform an anastomosis by the experienced microsurgeon was significantly
longer when using the smartphone (median: 32.5 minutes vs. 20 minutes, P<0.001). The
resident completed the anastomoses with both types of equipment without a significant
difference in the operative times. When using a smartphone, the operation times were
not significantly different between the resident and the experienced microsurgeon
(P=0.238). The resident showed non-significant differences in operation time and the
number of errors when using a smartphone or an operative microscope (P=1.000 and P=0.065,
respectively).
Conclusions Microsurgical practice with non-living chicken femoral vessels can be performed with
a smartphone, though it can take longer than with an operative microscope for experienced
microsurgeons. The resident may also experience frustration and tend to make more
anastomosis errors when using a smartphone versus an operative microscope.
Keywords
Smartphone - Microsurgery - Blood vessels - Anastomosis, surgical
