Investigation of Gaze Patterns in Multi View Laparoscopic Surgery

Laparoscopic Surgery (LS) is a modern surgical technique whereby the surgery is performed through an incision with tools and camera as opposed to conventional open surgery. This promises minimal recovery times and less hemorrhaging. Multi view LS is the latest development in the field, where the system uses multiple cameras to give the surgeon more information about the surgical site, potentially making the surgery easier. In this publication, we study the gaze patterns of a high performing subject in a multi-view LS environment and compare it with that of a novice to detect the differences between the gaze behavior. This was done by conducting a user study with 20 university students with varying levels of expertise in Multi-view LS. The subjects performed an laparoscopic task in simulation with three cameras (front/top/side). The subjects were then separated as high and low performers depending on the performance times and their data was analyzed. Our results show statistically significant differences between the two behaviors. This opens up new areas from of training novices to Multi-view LS to making smart displays that guide your shows the optimum view depending on the situation.