The Learning Curve in Oculoplastic Surgery
Author: Yuki Kamiya
Base Hospital / Institution: OCULOFACIAL CLINIC GROUP
ePoster presentation
Abstract ID: 24-316
Purpose
Surgical duration is a crucial measure of surgical proficiency, reflecting a surgeon’s skill level and experience. While there’s extensive literature on the learning curve of residents in cataract surgery, similar studies in the field of oculoplastic surgery are scarce. This study seeks to assess the surgical proficiency of residents in oculoplastic surgery.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed surgical records performed by nine resident physicians (four full-time and five part-time) at the Oculofacial Clinic Group, who had no prior experience in oculoplastic surgery before joining, between May 2021 and April 2024. To examine the relationship between operative times and the number of cases performed during the first year of residency for Levator Advancement (LA) and Blepharoplasty (BP), Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and first-order regression coefficients were calculated. Statistical significance was evaluated using GraphPad Prism 9, with a significance level set at p = 0.05.
Results
A total of 773 cases (441 LA and 332 BP) were analyzed. The mean operative times were 74.2 ± 17.5 minutes for LA and 62.2 ± 16.2 minutes for BP. As the data did not follow a normal distribution according to the Shapiro-Wilk test (p < 0.05), Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were calculated. The results showed a significant correlation for both LA and BP, with p < 0.05. The correlation coefficients were r = -0.38 for LA and r = -0.48 for BP. Additionally, first-order regression coefficients were calculated, resulting in R² values of 0.12 for LA and 0.21 for BP, both significant with p < 0.05. Operative time decreased by 0.23 minutes per case (95% CI, -0.28 to -0.19) for LA and by 0.34 minutes per case (95% CI, -0.41 to -0.27) for BP. From a qualitative perspective, two patterns were observed in the growth curves: (1) a group that showed steady progress with each additional case, and (2) a group whose operative times did not change with the number of cases.
Conclusion
Operative times significantly decreased with the increase in the number of cases experienced.
Additional Authors
| First name | Last name | Base Hospital / Institution |
|---|---|---|
| Tomoyuki | Kashima | OCULOFACIAL CLINIC GROUP |
| Ryo | Kikuchi | OCULOFACIAL CLINIC GROUP |
