First experience with VITOM eagle in micro-laryngeal surgery on 3D-printed laryngeal models: important improvements in exoscopic technology

Abstract

Purpose: The Karl Storz Company recently introduced a new exoscopic system equipped with new features and improvements compared to older counterparts. The endpoints of this study are to evaluate the new VITOM® Eagle system and compare it to the older VITOM® 3D for micro-laryngeal surgery, to analyze the new features of the latest Karl Storz’s product and determine whether these upgrades provide a significant advantage to surgery of the laryngeal district. Methods: Participants simulated CO2 Transoral Laser Microsurgery (CO2 TOLMS) procedures on 3D-printed laryngeal models firstly with both the VITOM® 3D and VITOM® Eagle. At the end of both sessions 2 questionnaires were administered: the first generic 3-item questionnaire comparing evaluating exoscopic and microscopic technology, the second questionnaire involved 8 items related to device quality. Results: Overall the new VITOM® Eagle resulted superior to the older VITOM® 3D, there were statistically significant differences in scores evaluating the image quality (p = 0.002), magnification rate (p = 0.002), and luminance (p = 0.047). In addition, according to questionnaires results, senior Otolaryngologists appeared to be slightly less inclined to a complete transition to exoscopy when compared to young surgeons. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate how the new VITOM® Eagle significantly outperforms the older VITOM® 3D. The upgrades discussed, have the potential of leading to better surgical outcomes by providing surgeons with better tools to navigate complex anatomical districts. Furthermore, results from this study highlighted how exoscopy is affecting the surgical training of young surgeons.