Feasibility and validation of a synthetic airway model for in situ laser dissection.

[BACKGROUND] This study measured the effectiveness of an in-house designed, cast silicone airway model in addressing the lack of easily accessible, validated transoral laser microsurgery simulation models.

[METHODS] Participants performed resection of two marked vocal fold lesions on the model. The model underwent face, content and construct validation assessment using a five-point Likert scale questionnaire measuring the mean resection time for each lesion and the completeness of lesion excision. Comparative analyses were performed for these measures.

[RESULTS] Thirteen otolaryngologists participated in this study. The model achieved validation threshold on all face and content measures (median, ≥4). Construct validation was demonstrated by the improvement in mean resection time between lesions one and two (86 54 seconds, = 11, = 0.017). The mean resection time was lower amongst more senior otolaryngologists (61.5 107.1 seconds, = 11, = 0.017).

[CONCLUSION] This synthetic silicone model is a low-cost, easily reproducible, high-fidelity synthetic airway model, demonstrating face, content and construct validity.