Development And Application Of A Porcine Heart Tissue Model For 2 Micron Continuous Wave Laser Endoscopic Technique Training

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to assess an in vitro porcine heart tissue model for laser prostatectomy endoscopic technique training.Material and Methods:Defrosted porcine heart was evaluated as a training tissue model for the 2-μm Tm:YAG continuous wave laser.10 junior surgeons without experience of laser benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) treatment were assessed for ability and speed over a period of time with two technique evaluation points:resection and vaporization. A 26F irrigating laser resectoscope was used to perform laser resection and vaporization on left ventricle chordae tendineae. Before the first and the second training stage, the trainees were trained in theory and techniques. Feasibility, technique and both resection and vaporization speed were analyzed.Results:The model allowed precise resection and vaporization technique training. The training was conducted without any safety problems or complications. As there were 2 trainees unable to attend the second assessment, only 8 groups of comparative data were collected. Compared with the first stage, there was significant improvement in terms of resection time, vaporization time and the total manipulation time (P＜0.01) in the second stage.Conclusions:Pig heart is a simple, cheap and reproducible model for learning the basic skills of laser prostatectomy using the 2-μm Tm:YAG laser before working on patients.