Ovine Model for Basic Training in Ear Surgery

Surgical proficiency in otolaryngology requires repetitive practice to master the complex spatial relationships of the temporal bone. While human cadaveric specimens remain the gold standard, their increasing scarcity and ethical constraints necessitate the validation of alternative biological models for training. This study aims to establish the sheep head as a viable anatomical model for training in ear surgery (ES) through comprehensive anatomical examination and training-based assessment of participants' satisfaction.

Participants were divided into three groups according to their prior experience in ES: resident, junior specialist, and senior specialist. A total of 21 participants were included. Each participant in the study was assigned to perform the designated procedures on a single sheep's head. Following the completion of the procedures, each participant was provided with an 11-item comprehensive satisfaction questionnaire with a scale attributed from 1 to 5 ("Totally Disagree" to "Completely Agree"). The normality of distribution was checked by applying the Shapiro-Wilk Test. The Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to compare the study group sentiment of agreement towards individual procedures.  Results: The results of the satisfaction questionnaire were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test, which did not reveal statistically significant differences between the responses of the three groups for several of the questionnaire items (p > 0.05). The average satisfaction score for each group was as follows: resident group 4.09 ± 0.54, junior specialist group 4.00 ± 0.55, and senior specialist group 4.2 ± 0.77.  Conclusions: A sheep's head can be successfully used for learning and practicing manual skills and the use of instruments specific to ES.