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Analysis of a practical surgical skills laboratory for nerve sparing radical prostatectomy

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Abstract

Purpose

With the rapidly expanding anatomical and technical knowledge surrounding nervesparing radical prostatectomy (NSRP), anatomical and operative textbooks have failed to keep pace with the literature. A surgical skill laboratory (SSL) was designed to educate urology trainees on surgical anatomy and techniques for NSRP. The objective was to assess the validity of a SSL program.

Methods

A low-fidelity, anatomically accurate prostate model with its appropriate fascial coverings and location of the neurovascular bundle was created. Participants were surveyed prior to a SSL workshop for their knowledge of NSRP focusing on clinical and anatomical considerations. An interactive 2-h tutorial and workshop was then undertaken outlining the clinical and anatomical nuances for NSRP, with participants then practising an intra and inter-fascial NSRP on the model. Participants were resurveyed immediately after the workshop and at 6 months.

Results

Thirty participants completed the NSRP workshop. Significant differences (p < 0.0001) in anatomical and clinical knowledge were noted after the workshop with improvements for both junior and senior trainees. The knowledge was retained at 6 months following the workshop.

Conclusions

A low-fidelity bench-top model is a feasible and reproducible technique for improving the understanding of periprostatic anatomy and the different surgical approaches for NSRP. The SSL is useful and knowledge gained appears to be retained by workshop participants. SSL workshops are a valid hands-on approach to teaching surgical skills and should remain an integral part of urology training.

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Funding

No funding was received for this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Emma Clarebrough

  2. Young Urology Researchers Organisation (YURO), Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Emma Clarebrough & Daniel Christidis

  3. Department of Surgery, Austin Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Daniel Christidis

  4. Department of Urology and Surgical Oncology, Princess Margaret Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Uri Lindner, Kimberly Fernandes & Neil Fleshner

  5. Department of Surgery, Austin Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Nathan Lawrentschuk

  6. Olivia Newton John Cancer Research Institute, Austin Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Nathan Lawrentschuk

  7. Division of Cancer Surgery, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Nathan Lawrentschuk

Authors
  1. Emma Clarebrough
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  2. Daniel Christidis
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  3. Uri Lindner
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  4. Kimberly Fernandes
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  5. Neil Fleshner
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  6. Nathan Lawrentschuk
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Contributions

EC: Manuscript writing/editing. DC: Manuscript writing/editing. UL: Project/protocol development, Data collection/management. KF: Data analysis, Data collection/management. EJ: Data collection/management. AF: Data collection/management. NF: Project/protocol development, Data collection/management. NL: Project/protocol development, Manuscript writing/editing

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emma Clarebrough.

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Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

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Clarebrough, E., Christidis, D., Lindner, U. et al. Analysis of a practical surgical skills laboratory for nerve sparing radical prostatectomy. World J Urol 37, 799–804 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-018-2472-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-018-2472-7

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