Development and validation of a cost-effective three-dimensional-printed cervical spine model for endoscopic posterior cervical foraminotomy training: a prospective educational study from Turkey
Study Design Expanding upon established surgical simulation methods, we developed a fused deposition modeling three-dimensional (3D)-printed model of the C1–T1 vertebra for posterior cervical foraminotomy training that features silicone-based neural elements, polyurethane foam-based ligaments, and p...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Korean Spine Society
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Asian Spine Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://asianspinejournal.org/upload/pdf/asj-2025-0050.pdf |
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| Summary: | Study Design Expanding upon established surgical simulation methods, we developed a fused deposition modeling three-dimensional (3D)-printed model of the C1–T1 vertebra for posterior cervical foraminotomy training that features silicone-based neural elements, polyurethane foam-based ligaments, and polyethylene terephthalate glycol vertebrae. Purpose This study evaluated the effectiveness of a cost-efficient 3D-printed training model designed to help neurosurgical residents acquire fundamental skills in endoscopic posterior cervical foraminotomy while addressing the technique’s challenging learning curve and limited training resources. Overview of Literature Only a few studies have investigated the efficacy of such a model. Methods Eight neurosurgery residents each with over 2 years of training completed four training sessions on two randomly assigned cervical spine levels using the newly developed 3D-printed model. A simple plumbing endoscope was used for real-time surgical visualization. Results Among the 64 completed surgical levels, left-sided procedures showed significantly higher insufficient decompression rates than did right-sided procedures (25.0% vs. 3.6%, p=0.002). However, no significant difference in overall complication rates was observed between sides (p=0.073). Surgical parameters remained consistent across sides, with no significant differences in operative duration. Brunner-Langer analysis revealed substantial improvements in operative duration (mean duration decrease from 21:42±2:15 to 6:33±0:42 minutes, p=0.004) and total complications (mean decrease from 2.1±0.8 to 0.4±0.5, p=0.007) across sessions. Although fluoroscopy timing showed marginal improvement (mean duration decrease from 2:12±1:15 to 0:55±0:23 minutes, p=0.057), the number of fluoroscopic images tended to decrease. Conclusions Our findings suggest that this novel 3D-printed cervical spine model could be a viable, low-cost option for neurosurgical training programs aiming to help residents develop essential endoscopic skills in a controlled setting. Facilitating early proficiency in posterior cervical foraminotomy can serve as a valuable intermediate step before transitioning to cadaveric models and clinical practice. |
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| ISSN: | 1976-1902 1976-7846 |