Introduction Improvements of surgical visualization add value to the quality of clinical routine and offer the opportunity to improve surgical education of medical staff. The aim of this study was to determine whether otorhinolaryngology trainees gain additional comprehension of the anatomical structures and the surgical site when 3D visualization is used. Methods Data were collected from ENT trainees of microsurgical courses of the middle ear, inner ear and lateral skull base at four university ENT departments (Charité (Berlin), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Halle/Saale), Ludwig Maximilian University (Munich) and Rostock University Medical Center). Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing the subjective value of identical surgical field visualization in 3D for surgeon and observer. Results A total of 112 participants completed the questionnaire. The majority of participants stated a high additional value of 3D visualization compared to 2D visualization, with 75% fully agreeing to the statement that 3D visualization of the surgical field is superior to perceive the anatomical topography and structures compared to 2D representation. Participants encouraged the storage of data in online learning platforms. Conclusion The results show that 3D visualization with identical imaging for surgeon and observer is a useful tool in teaching of microsurgery. It addresses perception of anatomical topography and structures as well as conception of the surgical workflow.

Background Attendance teaching is the predominant teaching method at universities but needs to be questioned in the context of digital transformation. This study establishes and evaluates a method to accomplish electronic learning to supplement traditional attendance courses. Materials and methods Surgery was transmitted in real-time conditions via an online live stream from the surgical theater. Visualization was transferred from a fully digital surgical microscope, an endoscope or an environmental camera in high definition quality. Students were able to participate at home from their personal computer. After following the surgery, they participated in an online-evaluation. Results A total of 65 students participated in the live stream. The majority of students (61.54%) indicated a significant subjective increase in knowledge after participation. The majority of students (53.85%) indicated that live surgeries should be offered as a permanent component in addition to classroom teaching. Likewise, a broader offer was desired by many students (63.08%). Conclusions Live streaming of surgery is a promising approach as an alternative or supplement to traditional attendance teaching. An expansion of digital teaching can be explicitly supported on the basis of this study.

Background In medicine, the symptom of dizziness is one of the most common multidisciplinary causes of emergency medical presentation. Attending physicians are often faced with difficult decisions when evaluating patients with dizziness. A rapid differential diagnostic decision must be made during the initial examination. The goal of this study, was to develop a smartphone-based app that can diagnose and qualify nystagmus. The app should enable differentiation between acute emergencies such as strokes ("central vertigo") and vestibular disorders ("peripheral vertigo") using and recognizing or analyzing the accompanying symptom "nystagmus". Materials and methods This prospective study was conducted at the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery "Otto Körner", Rostock (Germany). The experimental study design consisted of two test runs and two control runs. In the two test runs, nystagmus was tracked and evaluated by caloric and optokinetic stimulation, respectively, through a custom-developed app. Sensitivity and correlation were calculated for the app's application performance and compared under different experimental conditions. Results The patient sample included twenty healthy participants with a mean age of 25.6 years (± 2.2 SD) who participated in the study. The overall sensitivity of detection of nystagmus averaged 82.14% in the optokinetic stimulation test trials. There is no correlation regarding specific subject data and sensitivity. Conclusions The results of our experimental validation study show that a smartphone-based nystagmus app is a useful tool for vertigo diagnosis. The results of our analyses show that it is possible to diagnose nystagmus and determine shape or direction with the app.

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Der Präsenzunterricht ist die vorherrschende Lehrmethode der Universitäten, ist jedoch im Rahmen der digitalen Transformation und des zunehmenden Zugriffs auf Online-Lehrmaterialien zu hinterfragen. Ziel dieser Studie war es zu evaluieren, inwiefern das elektronische Lernen (E-Learning) online als Ersatz für das herkömmliche Anwesenheitspraktikum für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde genutzt werden kann. Material und Methoden Ein vollständig digitales elektronisches Lernkonzept wurde auf der Online-Lernplattform ILIAS erstellt und zur Verfügung gestellt. Die teilnehmenden Studierenden wurden in das elektronische Lernprogramm eingewiesen. Es wurden 4 Lerneinheiten (äußerer Hals [I], Rachen/Kehlkopf [II], Nase [III], Ohr [IV]) eingerichtet. Nach jeder Lerneinheit erfolgte abschließend ein themenentsprechender Multiple-Choice-Test. Sowohl vor als auch nach Durchführung der Lernkurse wurden die Studierenden gebeten, an der Evaluation teilzunehmen. Ergebnisse Insgesamt 105 Studierende nahmen vor und 85 Studierende nach erfolgtem elektronischem Lernprogramm an der Evaluation teil. Die Mehrheit der Studierenden (52,94 %) gab nach Durchführung der Kurse einen signifikant höheren Zufriedenheitswert bezüglich des Inhalts, der Darstellung der Lernsequenzen und der eigenen Kontrolle über Lerntempo bzw. Zeiteinteilung gegenüber dem Zeitpunkt vor Absolvierung des elektronischen Lernprogramms (34,29 %) an (p < 0,0001). Ein Großteil der Studierenden (54,12 %) wünscht sich das elektronische Lernangebot zusätzlich zur Präsenzlehre. Schlussfolgerungen Das elektronische Lernprogramm ist ein vielversprechender Ansatz als Alternative bzw. Ergänzung zum traditionellen Lernen bzw. dem Lernen durch die Teilnahme an Präsenzveranstaltungen. Eine Erweiterung der digitalen Lehre kann auf der Basis dieser Untersuchung ausdrücklich unterstützt werden.