Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40430190›Full record

ArticleLife (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Robot-Assisted Microsurgery Has a Steeper Learning Curve in Microsurgical Novices.

Felix Struebing, Jonathan Weigel, Emre Gazyakan, Laura Cosima Siegwart, Charlotte Holup, Ulrich Kneser, Arne Hendrik Boecker

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Life (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. In vivo microsurgical training with the symaniJournal of robotic surgery · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Felix StruebingBG Trauma Center Ludwigshafen, Department for Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Plastic Surgery for the University of Heidelberg, Ludwig Guttmann-Strasse 13, 67071 Ludwigshafen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-1467-9224
Jonathan WeigelBG Trauma Center Ludwigshafen, Department for Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Plastic Surgery for the University of Heidelberg, Ludwig Guttmann-Strasse 13, 67071 Ludwigshafen, Germany.ORCID 0009-0005-9839-1955
Emre GazyakanBG Trauma Center Ludwigshafen, Department for Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Plastic Surgery for the University of Heidelberg, Ludwig Guttmann-Strasse 13, 67071 Ludwigshafen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2826-2793
Laura Cosima SiegwartBG Trauma Center Ludwigshafen, Department for Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Plastic Surgery for the University of Heidelberg, Ludwig Guttmann-Strasse 13, 67071 Ludwigshafen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-0317-5768
Charlotte HolupBG Trauma Center Ludwigshafen, Department for Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Plastic Surgery for the University of Heidelberg, Ludwig Guttmann-Strasse 13, 67071 Ludwigshafen, Germany.
Ulrich KneserBG Trauma Center Ludwigshafen, Department for Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Plastic Surgery for the University of Heidelberg, Ludwig Guttmann-Strasse 13, 67071 Ludwigshafen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-3402-2860
Arne Hendrik BoeckerBG Trauma Center Ludwigshafen, Department for Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Plastic Surgery for the University of Heidelberg, Ludwig Guttmann-Strasse 13, 67071 Ludwigshafen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-3580-8486

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionMastering microsurgery requires advanced fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and precision, making it challenging for novices. Robot-assisted microsurgery offers benefits, such as eliminating physiological tremors and enhancing precision through motion scaling, which may potentially make learning microsurgical skills easier. MATERIALS AND

methodsSixteen medical students without prior microsurgical experience performed 160 anastomoses in a synthetic model. The students were randomly assigned into two cohorts, one starting with the conventional technique (HR group) and one with robotic assistance (RH group) using the Symani surgical system.

resultsBoth cohorts showed a reduction in procedural time and improvement in SAMS scores over successive attempts, with robotic anastomoses demonstrating a 48.2% decrease in time and a 54.6% increase in SAMS scores. The decreases were significantly larger than the RH group ( DISCUSSION: This study demonstrated a steep preclinical learning curve for robot-assisted microsurgery (RAMS) among novices in a synthetic, preclinical model. No significant differences in SAMS scores between robotic and manual techniques after ten anastomoses. Robot-assisted microsurgery required more time per anastomosis, but the results suggest that experience with RAMS may aid in manual skill acquisition. The study indicates that further exploration into the sequencing of robotic and manual training could be valuable, especially in designing structured microsurgical curricula.

Indexed as

learning curvemicrosurgeryrobot-assisted microsurgeryrobotic assistancesurgical education

Identifiers

PMID40430190
PMCPMC12113401

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.