With additional development, this team now presents their successfully developed patient specific simulator for laparoscopic renal surgery.
Utilizing dynamic CT studies of the patient the data is entered into the computer platform of the simulator. The patient-specific anatomy of the organs, including renal vasculature is then reproduced for the individual patient and the surgeon can truly perform a preoperative rehearsal of that specific patient’s laparoscopic nephrectomy. The simulator reportedly simulates both the dissection of the renal vessels and the extirpation of the kidney. These researchers have also designed a haptic device which reproduces appropriate surgical instrument to tissue interactive resistance. They have also simulated active bleeding in the case of renal vessel injury which would make this a valuable learning platform for trainees in laparoscopic renal surgery. We now anxiously await the construct and predictive validity testing of this unique surgical simulator.
Presented by Kazuhide Makiyama, et al. at the American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting - May 14 - 19, 2011 - Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC USA
Reported for UroToday by Elspeth M. McDougall, MD, FRCSC, Professor of Urology/Director, Surgical Education Institute at the University of California, Irvine.
View Full AUA 2011 Meeting Coverage
