Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 28, 2026
Porcine As a Training Module for Head and Neck Microvascular Reconstruction
Published on: September 29, 2018
Microsurgical training model with nonliving swine head. Alternative for neurosurgical education
Lucas Alves Aurich1, Luis Fernando Moura da Silva Junior2, Felipe Marques do Rego Monteiro2
1Department of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute of Curitiba, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
Purpose:
This paper proposes a practical model of microneurosurgical training using a nonliving swine head.
Methods:
Fresh porcine heads were obtained from butchery and dissected at our Laboratory of Microsurgery. Brain and skull base surgery were trained under microscopic magnification.
Results:
Several neurosurgical procedures could be simulated in the nonliving pig model, including transcallosal approach to the lateral ventricle, lateral sulcus and middle fossa dissection, and posterior fossa surgery.
Conclusion:
The swine model perfectly simulates standard microneurosurgical procedures, and is a useful tool for developing and refining surgical skills.
