A new method for digital video documentation in surgical procedures and minimally invasive surgery

Background: Documentation of surgical procedures is limited to the accuracy of description, which depends on the vocabulary and the descriptive prowess of the surgeon. Even analog video recording could not solve the problem of documentation satisfactorily due to the abundance of recorded material. By capturing the video digitally, most problems are solved in the circumstances described in this article. Methods: We developed a cheap and useful digital video capturing system that consists of conventional computer components. Video images and clips can be captured intraoperatively and are immediately available. The system is a commercial personal computer specially configured for digital video capturing and is connected by wire to the video tower. Filming was done with a conventional endoscopic video camera. A total of 65 open and endoscopic procedures were documented in an orthopedic and a thoracic surgery unit. The median number of clips per surgical procedure was 6 (range, 1–17), and the median storage volume was 49 MB (range, 3–360 MB) in compressed form. The median duration of a video clip was 4 min 25 s (range, 45 s to 21 min). Median time for editing a video clip was 12 min for an advanced user (including cutting, title for the movie, and compression). The quality of the clips renders them suitable for presentations. Conclusion: This digital video documentation system allows easy capturing of intraoperative video sequences in high quality. All possibilities of documentation can be performed. With the use of an endoscopic video camera, no compromises with respect to sterility and surgical elbowroom are necessary. The cost is much lower than commercially available systems, and setting changes can be performed easily without trained specialists.