The effect of surgeon’s pose and duration of operation on movement accuracy and level of microsurgical hand tremor

Abstract

Background. Physiological hand tremor is one of significant problems in microsurgical technique. One careless movement can cause damage to the neighboring structures and consequently worsen a patient’s condition. Therefore, the problem of reducing hand tremor remains relevant.Aim. To determine the effect of microsurgeon’s pose, duration of operation on the accuracy of surgical action and level of microsurgical hand tremor.Materials and methods. The study included 14 neurosurgery residents satisfying inclusion criteria. For evaluation and simulation of microsurgical action, validated and developed by the study authors devices for testing and surgical  microscope Carl Zeiss were used. The experimental results were compared using univariate analysis. The differences were considered statistically significant at p <0.05.Results. Surgeon’s pose standing / sitting did not affect spatial accuracy of surgical action and the level of microsurgical hand tremor. However, statistically significant changes in hand tremor were observed both in standing and sitting positions with increased time of microsurgical action.Conclusion. The choice between sitting or standing pose for microsurgical operation is not a factor significantly affecting microsurgeon’s spatial accuracy of movement and hand tremor. Duration of surgical intervention affects the level of microsurgical hand tremor.