Quality of online surgical education videos: comparative analysis of right hemicolectomy with complete mesocolic excision videos

Online surgical education videos vary widely in quality, yet their role in surgical training remains insufficiently defined. To compare the educational and technical quality of right hemicolectomy with complete mesocolic excision (CME) videos across professional surgical platforms and YouTube and to evaluate the relationship between quality scores and video popularity metrics. Cross-sectional comparative analysis of videos meeting predefined inclusion criteria. Eight open-access and subscription-based surgical video repositories, including YouTube and seven professional society platforms. N/A. N/A. Educational quality was assessed using the Essential LAP-VEGaS score; technical quality was evaluated with the Right Study Score. Popularity was measured using the Video Power Index (VPI). Of 1683 videos screened, 191 met inclusion criteria: 52.4% YouTube and 47.6% professional platforms. Laparoscopic, robotic, and open approaches accounted for 76.4%, 20.4%, and 3.1%, respectively. Despite identical median LAP-VEGaS scores (median 8 [IQR 7–12] vs. 8 [IQR 5–10]), educational quality was significantly higher on professional platforms ( p = 0.001), with low-scoring content largely confined to YouTube (LV ≤ 5: 26.0% vs. 2.2%; p < 0.001). Professional videos also showed superior performance in key technical steps: submesenteric dissection ( p = 0.021), SMV dissection with ileocolic vessel ligation ( p = 0.002), and proximal SMV/gastrocolic trunk dissection ( p = 0.040). Among YouTube videos, educational and technical scores were moderately correlated ( ρ = 0.366, p < 0.001). Neither duration nor popularity predicted educational quality; however, intermediate-duration videos (8.5–13.9 min) had the highest median LAP-VEGaS scores, although this was not reproduced when round duration categories were used. Subjectivity in scoring, restriction to English-language videos, and absence of direct assessment of learner performance or patient outcomes may limit generalizability. Professionally curated platforms are less likely to host poorly structured educational content and provide superior demonstration of critical technical steps for CME right hemicolectomy compared with YouTube. However, learner performance outcomes were not assessed.