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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Surg.
Sec. Neurosurgery
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2024.1446067
This article is part of the Research Topic Training and Education in Neurosurgery: Strategies and Challenges for the Next Ten Years Volume II View all 10 articles

Innovating Neurosurgical Training: A Comprehensive Evaluation of a 3D-Printed Intraventricular Neuroendoscopy Simulator and Systematic Review of the Literature

Provisionally accepted
Attill Saemann Attill Saemann 1*Adriana De Rosa Adriana De Rosa 1Jokin Zubizarreta Oteiza Jokin Zubizarreta Oteiza 2,3Neha Sharma Neha Sharma 2,3Florian M. Thieringer Florian M. Thieringer 2,3,4Jehuda Soleman Jehuda Soleman 1,4Raphael Guzman Raphael Guzman 1,4
  • 1 Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
  • 2 Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
  • 3 Medical Additive Manufacturing Research Group (Swiss MAM), Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
  • 4 Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a low-cost 3D-printed simulator to improve the ability of neurosurgical residents to handle and coordinate endoscopes in performing technically demanding procedures such as neuroendoscopic removal of ventricular tumors or endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV). Methods: The simulator was developed, printed in-house, and evaluated in a trial involving neurosurgery residents who performed ETV and intraventricular tumor resection tasks using it. Participants completed a questionnaire that assessed various aspects of the simulator's effectiveness, including anatomical visualization, procedural understanding, competency enhancement, and subjective impressions. Results: A total of 12 participants were included in the evaluation. The majority (n=7, 53.85%) were male, with a mean age of 29.8 ± 3.27 years and 4 ± 2 years of neurosurgical experience. All participants agreed or strongly agreed (4.5 ± 0.50) that the 3D printed simulator helped develop systematic intraventricular visualization and understanding of surgical steps (4.42 ± 0.64). The handling of the endoscope was rated as realistic (4.5 ± 0.50), while the haptic qualities of the tumor were rated lower (3.83 ± 0.80; 3.92 ± 0.64). Training increased competence (4.25 ± 0.45) and coordination skills (4.5 ± 0.50), with 75% (n=9) feeling more confident with neuroendoscopic instruments and 91.7% (n=11) in future procedures. Conclusion: The developed 3D-printed simulator offers an accessible and practical training resource for neurosurgical residents, addressing the limitations of traditional training methods. The simulator appears to improve procedural skills and the competence of future neurosurgeons, potentially improving patient safety and outcomes in neurosurgical practice.

    Keywords: Neuroendoscopy, Neurosurgery, Simulation training, three-dimensional printing, surgical training

    Received: 08 Jun 2024; Accepted: 10 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Saemann, De Rosa, Zubizarreta Oteiza, Sharma, Thieringer, Soleman and Guzman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Attill Saemann, Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Basel, Basel, 4001, Switzerland

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.