Journal of neurosurgery. Pediatrics
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J Neurosurg Pediatr · Aug 2013
Design of a synthetic simulator for pediatric lumbar spine pathologies.
Simulation has become an important tool in neurosurgical education as part of the complex process of improving residents' technical expertise while preserving patient safety. Although different simulators have already been designed for a variety of neurosurgical procedures, spine simulators are still in their infancy and, at present, there is no available simulator for lumbar spine pathologies in pediatric neurosurgery. In this paper the authors describe the peculiarities and challenges involved in developing a synthetic simulator for pediatric lumbar spine pathologies, including tethered spinal cord syndrome and open neural tube defects. ⋯ Designing and building a synthetic simulator for pediatric lumbar spine pathologies poses a wide variety of unique challenges. According to the authors' experience, a modular system composed of separable layers that can be independently replaced significantly enhances the applicability of such a model, enabling its individualization to distinctive but interrelated pathologies. Moreover, the design of a system for pressure monitoring (as well as a general score that may be able to account for the overall technical quality of the trainee's performance) may further enhance the educational applications of a simulator of this kind so that it can be further incorporated into the neurosurgical residency curriculum for training and evaluation purposes.