Simulations and simulators in head and neck endocrine surgery

Area of Science:

• Endocrine Surgery
• Surgical Simulation
• Medical Education

Background:

• Simulations are crucial for surgical training, especially in robotic and minimally invasive procedures.
• Thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy are common endocrine surgeries with limited available training simulators.
• Remote-access thyroidectomy techniques are gaining popularity, increasing the need for specialized simulators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing literature on simulation models for head and neck endocrine surgery.
• To identify available training simulators for both conventional and remote-access thyroidectomy techniques.

Main Methods:

• Literature search of scientific databases for studies on surgical simulation in head and neck endocrine surgery.
• Analysis of available simulation models, including virtual reality and physical simulators.
• Review of training applications for conventional transcervical and remote-access thyroidectomy.

Main Results:

• Limited studies focus on simulators for thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy.
• A growing number of simulators are emerging for robotic and minimally invasive procedures.
• Simulators show potential for enhancing trainee education and safe implementation of remote-access techniques.

Conclusions:

• There is a need for more research and development of simulation tools for head and neck endocrine surgery.
• Simulators can significantly benefit the training and adoption of advanced thyroidectomy techniques.
• Further investigation into simulator efficacy and accessibility is warranted.