Endoscopic orbital surgery requires the acquisition of a unique skill set. Required skillset includes endoscopic bimanual dissection of the extraconal lesions adherent to orbital fat and neurovascular structures. Researchers did this study to develop a modular cadaveric model used to train surgeons to resect orbital pathology within any desired orbital compartment.
Surgeons successfully implanted all 24 beads in 8 orbits corresponding to CHEER stage II to IV lesions. Beads expanded from 2 mm to an average of 5.2 mm within 1 hour. During expansion, the dots interpolated into the adjacent fascia, similar to in vivo tumors. The average insertion time was 5:53 minutes per orbit and the average time to bead identification was 10:47 minutes. Across all beads, dissection times decreased in a nonsignificant manner over eight consecutive attempts.
The study concluded that directed implantation of expansile SAP beads in this cadaveric model accurately replicates the approach, identification, and resection of isolated orbital lesions. This orbital model can help the endoscopic surgical team develop further knowledge and technical skillsets to approach orbital lesions. Additional ongoing studies to validate this model are currently underway.
Reference: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1945892419882553
