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A phantom model as a teaching modality for laparoscopic partial nephrectomy
Alfonso Fernandez1, Elvis Chen, John Moore
1Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London Ontario, Canada.
Purpose:
To evaluate a materials model for laparoscopic ultrasound identification and partial nephrectomy of kidney tumors.
Methods:
Five urology fellows performed laparoscopic ultrasonography (LUS) examination of the tumor model, and the time for identification was recorded. After identifying the tumor, they performed a laparoscopic partial nephrectomy using the target tumor with measurement of operative parameters. They completed a questionnaire and rated the quality of the renal tumor model on a 5-point Likert scale.
Results:
The participants were able to identify 49 tumors by LUS (98%). The mean time to identify the renal tumors by LUS was 1.12 minutes ± 0.93 standard deviation (SD). A partial nephrectomy was successfully completed on 49 tumor models (98%). The mean resection time was 7.69 minutes ± 3.8 SD. All of the participants considered that this model was helpful in the practice of LPN. The fellows would recommend this model as a teaching tool for residents/fellows to perform tumor imaging by LUS and for practicing LPN in a simulated environment.
Conclusion:
We have developed a unique model that simulates small kidney tumors that can be used for training surgeons in the clinical skills of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.
