Postural control during laparoscopic surgical tasks.

BACKGROUND Balance control during standing is essential while performing surgery. The postural sway must be controlled to enhance movement accuracy. Postural control was compared between novices and experts during standardized laparoscopic tasks. METHODS Seven novices with limited exposition to laparoscopy were compared with 7 expert surgeons. The subjects were requested to perform 4 laproscopic tasks on the McGill Inanimate System for Training and Evaluation of Laparoscopic Skills (MISTELS) and a quiet standing task while standing on 2 force platforms. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures was performed to compare groups and the different conditions. Significant level was set at P < .05. RESULTS The technical requirements of the laparoscopic tasks impacted on postural sway in both anteroposterior and mediolateral directions. Furthermore, results indicate that the experts have a significantly better postural balance for all tasks compared to novices. CONCLUSION Postural sway increases with the technical requirements of minimally invasive surgery. This study showed that postural control performance while standing improves with laparoscopic expertise.