Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40835764›Full record

Trial reportSurgical endoscopy2025

Does mental imagery make a difference in virtual reality simulation training? Results of a randomized controlled trial.

Moritz B Sparn, Dimitrios Chatziisaak, Rene Warschkow, Bruno Schmied, Dieter Hahnloser, Stephan Bischofberger

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Surgical endoscopy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

6 authors.

Moritz B SparnDepartment of Surgery, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, 9007, St. Gallen, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5908-5454
Dimitrios ChatziisaakDepartment of Surgery, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, 9007, St. Gallen, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-7203-7822
Rene WarschkowDepartment of Surgery, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, 9007, St. Gallen, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9635-5751
Bruno SchmiedDepartment of Surgery, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, 9007, St. Gallen, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4552-7386
Dieter HahnloserDepartment of Visceral Surgery, University Hospital Lausanne, Rue du Bugnon 46, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland. dieter.hahnloser@chuv.ch.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5595-4114
Stephan BischofbergerDepartment of Surgery, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, 9007, St. Gallen, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-8434-679X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo assess the effect of mental imagery (MI) on the performance in Virtual Reality Simulation Training (VRST) and laparoscopic cholecystectomy training with a box-trainer.

methodsWe randomly assigned novice laparoscopic surgeons taking part in 2023's Davos Course to either receive MI followed by VRST vs. VRST alone. Laparoscopic performance was measured using time taken and instruments' path lengths. We also measured surgical performance in a porcine cholecystectomy model in a box-trainer using a modified objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) score. One-hundred-ten participants in the beginners' module of the Davos Course were eligible, and all could be assessed in this study.

resultsVRST performance did not differ significantly between the two groups. In the cholecystectomy exercise, participants in the MI group performed significantly better in the two subscales 'Respect for Tissue' and 'Use of the Assistant' (p = 0.037 and 0.035, respectively). There was no difference in the other subscales and the overall OSATS Score.

conclusionsMI did not improve young surgeons' overall OSATS scores in a porcine laparoscopic cholecystectomy model. On two subscales of the OSATS scores that reflect skills that are hard to train with VRST, the MI group performed significantly better. Further research involving VRST is warranted to elucidate optimal training modalities.

Indexed as

Cholecystectomy, LaparoscopicClinical CompetenceImaginationSimulation TrainingVirtual RealityAdultAnimalsFemaleHumansMaleSwineLaparoscopic surgery trainingMental trainingSimulationSurgical educationSurgical trainingVirtual reality simulation training

Identifiers

PMID40835764
PMCPMC12500798

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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.