New publication: three nerve-sparing approaches on a high-fidelity surgical model

Dr. Gonzalo J. Vitagliano is the senior author of a new open-access paper in Urology Video Journal (Elsevier): Multiple approaches on a high fidelity surgical model for robot-assisted nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy training, carried out with Maximiliano Ringa and Victoria Díaz Zorita (Hospital Alemán de Buenos Aires), Wenceslao Villamil (Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires) and Juan Manuel Álvarez (Clínica Colón, Mar del Plata).

The video demonstrates the feasibility of performing three nerve-sparing approaches to robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (anterior, anterior with the Hood technique, and posterior) on the Urotrainer VP high-fidelity inanimate pelvic model, created by Dr. Vitagliano himself, operated with the da Vinci surgical system in a dry-lab setting.

The model replicates the prostate, bladder, seminal vesicles, urethra and neurovascular bundles with tissue-like tactile properties, so fascial planes can be identified and dissection practiced with realistic feedback. The vesicourethral anastomosis can be repeated several times on the same model, a concrete advantage for training the reconstructive step.

The authors conclude that a model of this kind facilitates the demonstration and training of multiple nerve-sparing approaches, and highlight its value as an educational tool in robotic-surgery training programs.

Full article (open access): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590089726000381