Abstract
BackgroundThe dissection of the Sylvian fissure (SF) is a crucial technique requiring considerable expertise and skills traditionally acquired through years of experience. The continous decline in surgical case-load necessitates the development of efficient alternative training opportunities. However, building a realistic and effective training simulator for the microsurgical dissection of the SF as an integral part of the neurosurgical curriculum, remains a challenging endeavor. This work aims to develop and evaluate a high-fidelity phantom simulator for effective and transferable training of the SF dissection with a focus on middle cerebral artery aneurysm clipping. MethodsA phantom simulator replicating the anatomy and tactile properties of the human skull, brain and meninges was developed incorporating additive manufacturing, neurosurgical expertise, and tissue engineering. Neurosurgical residents and experienced vascular neurosurgeons (n = 16) tested and rated the simulator’s face and content validities and answered questions on the model’s educational usefulness. ResultsThe resulting Sylvian fissure model is anatomically and haptically faithful, reusable and modifiable. The simulator overwhelmingly received positive ratings in face and content validity, with mean scores of 4.8 and 4.7 out of 5, respectively. Neurosurgeons deemed the simulator as highly accurate in respect to anatomical and tactile accuracy. Neurosurgical residents and neurosurgeons rated the simulator as superior in comparison to traditional teaching and training mehtods. ConclusionsThe presented methodology demonstrates that the development and assessment of a high-fidelity hands-on simulator for the focused training of one of the most delicate neurosurgical procedures is achievable in a timely manner and without extensive investments.
Published Version
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