Comparative analysis of spatiotemporal playback manipulation on virtual reality training for External Ventricular Drainage

Extensive research has been conducted in multiple surgical specialities where Virtual Reality (VR) has been utilised, such as spinal neurosurgery. However, cranial neurosurgery remains relatively unexplored in this regard. This work explores the impact of adopting VR to study External Ventricular Drainage (EVD). In this study, pre-recorded Motion Captured data of an EVD procedure is visualised on a VR headset, in comparison to a desktop monitor condition. Participants ($N=20$) were tasked with identifying and marking a key moment in the recordings. Objective and subjective metrics were recorded, such as completion time, temporal and spatial error distances, workload, and usability. The results from the experiment showed that the task was completed on average twice as fast in VR, when compared to desktop. However, desktop showed fewer error-prone results. Subjective feedback showed a slightly higher preference towards the VR environment concerning usability, while maintaining a comparable workload. Overall, VR displays are promising as an alternative tool to be used for educational and training purposes in cranial surgery.