Development and Validation of a Low-Cost and Simple Simulator for Microlaryngeal Surgery

OBJECTIVES. The simulation of microlaryngeal skills is rarely seen in surgical training, but it is particularly important in phonomicrosurgery. This study described and validated the laryngeal surgical simulator through surgical training. METHODS. A simple and low-cost simulator was developed for the fixation of the suspension laryngoscope and porcine larynges. Twenty participants with work skills and experience did preparation before training, and performed suture and carbon dioxide (CO(2)) laser cordectomy for simulator evaluation. The results were proposed by the aspects of time taken for each procedure, the global rating scale, a procedure-specific assessment, and a post-simulation questionnaire. RESULTS. All participants completed the preparation within 9 minutes and reached the conclusion that the microlaryngeal surgical simulator was helpful in improving their surgical skills. The performance of experts was superior to that of novices in both suture and CO(2) laser cordectomy. CONCLUSION. This simulator could be easily assembled and was successfully validated by microlaryngeal surgical training both subjectively and objectively. It may be helpful to clinicians in microlaryngeal skills.