Evaluating craniofacial plastic & reconstructive surgery outcomes using Eye-Tracking technology: A Systematic review
Author: Mohamed Alaktaa
Base Hospital / Institution: University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire
ePoster presentation
Abstract ID: 24-225
Purpose
Background: Plastic surgery addresses functional and appearance-related problems. Traditional outcomes were assessed through subjective measures, like patient satisfaction. This study focuses on evaluating craniofacial plastic surgery outcomes using eye-tracking technology by analysing the viewer’s gaze patterns.
Objective: Review existing papers evaluating craniofacial plastic surgery outcomes using eye-tracking. Investigate the technology’s capability to identify changes in viewers’ attention by analysing gaze patterns.
Methods
Conducting a systematic literature review, 33 studies were identified. The use of eye-tracking technology to evaluate craniofacial plastic surgery outcomes was the main inclusion criterion. Data extraction followed the Cochrane Handbook and PICOS format, including general information, patients’ and observers’ data, the research’s main features, eye-tracking device and procedure, and evaluation scales.
Results
The 33 selected studies covered diverse craniofacial procedures, presenting data on fixation count, dwell time, and other eye-tracking metrics. Patients’ images were classified as condition/control or preoperative/postoperative. Observers were from diverse backgrounds. The median display time was (7s), and median distance from the eye-tracker was 60cm. Screen-based eye trackers were predominant. Median fixation time was 115milliseconds, with fixation count being the most used measurement. The data highlighted differences in viewer gaze patterns between preoperative and postoperative images.
Conclusion
Metrics measured through eye-tracking technology, like visual fixation and fixation duration, are valuable proxies for assessing subconscious preference. Differences in gaze patterns were detected between preoperative and postoperative images, or control and condition images. While acknowledging limitations such as observer variability, our study underscores the potential of eye-tracking as an objective tool in plastic surgery outcome assessments.
Additional Authors
| First name | Last name | Base Hospital / Institution |
|---|---|---|
| Nazeeh | Alaktaa | University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire |
| Peter | Zoltan | University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire |
