Pre-surgical planning with extended reality in neurosurgery: a survey-based study describing a preliminary experience in Italy

Background: Extended reality (XR) systems play an increasingly role in preoperative planning in different surgical fields including neurosurgery. Considering educational purposes, not all residents have the same opportunities to learn and deal with XR. Thus, the authors sought to evaluate the perspectives of an Italian sample of neurosurgical trainees on XR, and to size the impact of these developing technologies on the learning curve of a small group of residents coming from different Italian Institutions. Methods: A 23-question cross-sectional survey was administered to 32 neurosurgery residents nationwide to evaluate their perspectives and experience on XR in a neurosurgical setting. A specific 20-question survey was administered to a pilot group of 5 trainees, working at the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, to evaluate their experience with daily-use of XR and to probe its impact on their learning curve a period of 3 months. Results: The majority of the interviewed perceived XR as effective in simulating the real surgical scenario both in terms of anatomy and surgical trajectory. These results also reflect the subjective perception of the five trainee-pilot group which report a progressive confidence on the surgical case management. Conclusions: This preliminary study suggests XR as an effective tool which can positively influence trainees' education. There is a broad perception of its beneficial impact even in contexts where XR is not frequently available. Further and larger studies are necessary in our country to better understand and standardize these results.