Tactile Skill-Based Neurosurgical Simulators Are Effective and Inexpensive.

BACKGROUND

Regulations limit residency work hours and operating time, limiting the amount of hands-on surgical training. To develop alternative hands-on training, many programs teach surgical skills in laboratories and workshops with the use of simulators. The expense of computer simulators and lack of replication of the manual skills and tactile feedback of surgery limit their usefulness. We have developed 2 replicable simulators constructed from low-cost materials, which allow residents to practice the manual skills required in key portions of minimally invasive lumbar decompression and Chiari decompression surgeries. The objective was to review the efficacy of our lumbar and Chiari decompression simulators in improving resident and medical student surgical skills.

METHODS

Resident and medical student participants completed one or both simulators 10 times. The lumbar decompression simulations were evaluated by the length of time participants blocked the field of view and by the number of times they lost control of the drill. Chiari decompression simulations were evaluated by the length of time to complete the simulation and by the regularity of their sutures.

RESULTS

After 10 attempts, participants of the lumbar decompression simulator decreased the amount of time blocking the field of view by 52% and decreased the number of times they lost control of the drill by 69%. Participants of the Chiari decompression simulator decreased their suturing time by 56% and improved the regularity of their sutures.

CONCLUSIONS

The simple and inexpensive simulators evaluated in this study were shown to improve the speed, quality of work, and comfort level of the participants.