Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Dec;77(6):466-472.
doi: 10.1055/s-0036-1583186. Epub 2016 May 2.

The Lamb's Head as a Model for Surgical Skills Development in Endonasal Surgery

Luíza Baptista Mallmann  1 , Otávio Bejzman Piltcher  2 , Gustavo Rassier Isolan  3
Affiliations

The Lamb's Head as a Model for Surgical Skills Development in Endonasal Surgery

Luíza Baptista Mallmann et al. J Neurol Surg B Skull Base. 2016 Dec.

Abstract

Objectives To test the viability of a lamb's head model for sinonasal surgery training in Brazil by comparing performance of endoscopic procedures in the septum and inferior turbinates. Design Prospective study. Settings Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (2015). Participants Ten physicians performed septoplasty, inferior turbinoplasty, and middle turbinectomy on 30 lamb's heads. Main Outcome Measures Degree of difficulty and similarity, opinion of tissue color and texture, and degree of satisfaction. Results Participants completed a questionnaire at the end of each procedure and a satisfaction survey at the end of the project. Significant between-group differences were found for the perceived degree of difficulty in performing left inferior turbinoplasty, right inferior turbinoplasty, and septoplasty. Final satisfaction with training was scored 9 out of 10, and all participants reported that they would like to receive such training again. Conclusion The tested model is feasible due to its low cost, its easy availability, and its similarity to human anatomy in terms of dimensions of relevant structures and tissue consistency. It allows effective training in instrument handling and acquisition of the surgical skills related to two-dimensional vision needed for endoscopy. However, it should not be considered a substitute for training of specific surgical techniques.

Keywords: animal model; education; paranasal sinus; surgery; training technique.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Endoscopic view of the lamb's left nasal fossa. 1 Concha dorsalis, 2a concha ventralis superior pars dorsalis, 2b concha ventralis inferior pars dorsalis, 3 septum.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Lamb's head fixated within holder and positioned for the study procedures.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Shankar L, Evans K. USA: Taylor & Francis; 2006. An Atlas of Imaging of Paranasal Sinus.
    1. Leunig A. Tuttlingen, Germany: Straub Druck, Medien AG; 2009. Cirugía endoscópica de la pared nasal lateral, de los senos paranasales y de la base anterior del cráneo.
    1. Kennedy D W, Zinreich S J, Rosenbaum A E, Johns M E. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery. Theory and diagnostic evaluation. Arch Otolaryngol. 1985;111(9):576–582. - PubMed
    1. el-Hennawi D M. Combined functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS): a revisited approach. Rhinology. 1998;36(4):196–201. - PubMed
    1. Awad Z, Taghi A, Sethukumar P, Tolley N S. Construct validity of the ovine model in endoscopic sinus surgery training. Laryngoscope. 2015;125(3):539–543. - PubMed