FLS FLS Camera Navigation and Optics 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The standard laparoscope used in FLS tasks has a 0° or 30° lens. What is the primary advantage of the 30° (angled) lens?
- It provides a wider field of view without moving the scope
- It allows the surgeon to 'look around corners' by rotating the scope (Correct answer)
- It magnifies the image more than a 0° scope
- It produces less light loss than a 0° scope
Correct answer: It allows the surgeon to 'look around corners' by rotating the scope
Rotating a 30° angled scope redirects the viewing angle, allowing visualization behind structures and in areas not accessible with a straight 0° lens.
Question 2: In FLS box trainer tasks, the camera is typically placed through which port?
- The rightmost 5 mm port
- The umbilical 10–12 mm central port (Correct answer)
- The left lateral 5 mm port
- A dedicated 2 mm port at the top of the box
Correct answer: The umbilical 10–12 mm central port
The FLS box trainer camera port is in the central umbilical position, mirroring the standard laparoscopic camera placement in most abdominal procedures.
Question 3: When the camera is positioned too close to the target tissue in the FLS box trainer, the result is:
- Better magnification and improved task performance
- Loss of spatial orientation and inability to see instrument tips (Correct answer)
- Improved depth perception due to shorter focal length
- Reduced glare from the light source
Correct answer: Loss of spatial orientation and inability to see instrument tips
Placing the camera too close eliminates the surrounding context needed for spatial orientation, making it difficult to coordinate instrument movements.
Question 4: White balancing the laparoscope before insertion is important because it:
- Sterilizes the lens surface
- Calibrates the camera to display accurate colors under the operative light (Correct answer)
- Increases the frame rate of the video system
- Adjusts the focal length of the lens
Correct answer: Calibrates the camera to display accurate colors under the operative light
White balance calibrates the camera chip to the specific light source so that tissue colors (especially the hues of bleeding or ischemia) appear accurately on the monitor.
Question 5: The phenomenon of 'fulcrum effect' in laparoscopy means that when the surgeon moves the instrument handle to the right, the instrument tip moves:
- To the right, as with open surgery
- To the left (in the opposite direction) (Correct answer)
- Straight upward due to leverage
- Diagonally, depending on trocar angle
Correct answer: To the left (in the opposite direction)
Because the trocar acts as a fixed pivot point (fulcrum), handle and tip move in opposite directions — a key psychomotor adaptation required for laparoscopic skill.
Question 6: Fogging of the laparoscope lens occurs when the scope enters a colder peritoneal cavity from a warm room. The most practical intraoperative remedy is:
- Increase insufflation pressure to clear the lens
- Warm the scope tip in warm saline or use anti-fog solution before insertion (Correct answer)
- Replace the camera with a 0° scope
- Increase the light source intensity
Correct answer: Warm the scope tip in warm saline or use anti-fog solution before insertion
Warming the laparoscope tip to body temperature before insertion or applying anti-fog solution prevents condensation from forming on the cold lens surface.
FLS FLS Camera Navigation and Optics 1
The standard laparoscope used in FLS tasks has a 0° or 30° lens.
What is the primary advantage of the 30° (angled) lens?