Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
Transmesenteric Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty in Trendelenburg Position for Horseshoe Kidney with Hydronephrosis
Published on: July 8, 2025
Training model for open or laparoscopic pyeloplasty
Jason Ooi1, Nathan Lawrentschuk, Donald L Murphy
1Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, Geelong Hospital, Victoria, Australia., Austin Hospital, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.
Purpose:
To demonstrate the construction of a simple training model from reconfigured chicken skin to simulate open and laparoscopic reconstructive pyeloplasty.
Materials And Methods:
Reconfiguring and suturing chicken skin dissected off its muscle creates a model of the ureteropelvic junction. Dismembered pyeloplasty techniques may be practiced with open or laparoscopic equipment. Students with prior training in suturing and knot-tying only used the open pyeloplasty model on three occasions. Urology trainees experienced in surgery but not laparoscopic pyeloplasty used the model laparoscopically.
Results:
Students demonstrated a significant improvement (P < 0.05) between their first (17.00 +/- 4.44 minutes; mean +/- 95% CI) and third (11.33 +/- 2.40 minutes) attempts using the open model. Urology trainees improved their mean times from the first (18.0 minutes) to third (11.8 minutes) attempts using the laparoscopic model.
Conclusions:
This cheap and readily available model is reproducible and applicable to training in both open and laparoscopic pyeloplasty.
