INTEGRATING A VIRTUAL REALITY MASK IN FUNCTIONAL UROLOGICAL SURGERIES UNDER LOCAL ANESTHESIA: A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY ON UTILITY AND SATISFACTION.

Objectives: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a virtual reality (VR) mask as a distraction tool during minimally invasive functional urological interventions as part of the local anesthesia protocol.

Methods: This is a single-centre prospective observational pilot cohort study which included all consecutive patients undergoing intradetrusor botulinum toxin injection, sacral neuromodulation, and urethral bulking agent injection with combined anesthetic protocol composed by local anesthesia and a VR mask (Hypno VR^TM virtual reality mask, Strasbourg, France). Preoperative and postoperative evaluation included the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) index. Intraoperatively, a 4-point Likert anxiety rating scale and a visual analog scale (VAS) pain score were assessed. Vital signs were measured preoperative and intraoperatively. Postoperatively, two questionnaires exploring patient satisfaction were administered. The evaluated outcomes were the tolerability of the device and patient's reported intraoperative pain and anxiety.

Results: Thirty-nine patients were included. Mean age was 64 years. Eleven patients (28%) were affected by neurological conditions. Two patients experienced subjective discomfort. Preoperative and intraoperative mean arterial pressure was 105 and 111 mmHg (p=0.01), respectively. Preoperative and intraoperative mean heart rate was 72 and 75 bpm (p=0.12), respectively. Preoperative and postoperative STAI index were 34.8+-10 and 32.8+-10.3 (p=0.88). Mean Likert anxiety scale value was 2.2+-1.1, mean intraoperative VAS score was 5.3+-2.5. Thirty-four (87%) patients declared themselves satisfied with the surgical procedure and 36 (92.3%) patients would have recommended the same procedure to a relative.

Conclusions: Virtual reality mask may play a role in reducing pain and anxiety in minimally-invasive functional urological interventions.