• Jia-Ping Zheng, Chu-Zhong Li, Guo-Qiang Chen, Gui-Dong Song, and Ya-Zhuo Zhang.
• Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
• World Neurosurg. 2018 Mar 1; 111: e773-e782.

ObjectiveTransnasal endoscopic skull base surgery (SBS) presents a major challenge for inexperienced neurosurgeons because of the complicated anatomic structures, 2-dimensional endoscopic view, limited operative field, and required skills. We designed a personalized multimaterial and multicolor three-dimensional (3D)-printed SBS simulation to reproduce the complex anatomy of the skull base. The fidelity and feasibility for anatomic education and surgical training were assessed.MethodsTwo-dimensional computer tomography and magnetic resonance images were collected from a 42-year-old healthy male volunteer. After 3D modeling and spatial alignment, personalized SBS simulations were produced using a multimaterial 3D printer. The fidelity of the models was assessed by 3 experienced neurosurgeons, and the effects for anatomic education and surgical training were evaluated by 10 resident trainees. Both evaluations were based on 5-point Likert questionnaires.ResultsThe mean scores for fidelity of tissue structure ranged from 3.7 to 4.7, and scores for aid in anatomic education and surgical training ranged from 3.5 to 4.9.ConclusionThe 3D-printed SBS simulation is a practical, economical, high-fidelity model. It has great potential for anatomic education and operative training in transnasal endoscopic surgery.Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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