Porcine Knee Arthroscopy Laboratory – A Viable Alternative For Training Arthroscopic Surgical Techniques Using Anatomical Models Similar To The Human Knee


José Leonardo Rocha De Faria , MD, MSc, PhD
BRAZIL

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Porcine Knee Arthroscopy Laboratory – A Viable Alternative For Training Arthroscopic Surgical Techniques Using Anatomical Models Similar To The Human Knee

José Leonardo Rocha De Faria , MD, MSc, PhD, BRAZIL Lara Castello Branco Carvalho, MD, BRAZIL Lucas Pupp, MD, BRAZIL Thalles Henrique Chad Gomes, Student of Medicine, BRAZIL Ana Carolina Leal, PhD, BRAZIL Sandra Tie Nishibe Minamoto, MD, BRAZIL Rafael Prinz, Prof, BRAZIL Marcus Vinicius Galvão Amaral, MD, MsC, BRAZIL Joao ANTONIO MATHEUS GUIMARAES, BRAZIL

National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL

2025 Congress   ePoster Presentation   2025 Congress   Not yet rated

 

Anatomic Location

Knee

Treatment / Technique

Arthroscopy

Anatomic Structure

Bones Cartilage Ligaments Meniscus Medial Lateral

Sports Medicine

Research

Ligaments

ACL PCL

Summary: Arthroscopic training using porcine knee models is an effective and viable alternative to human anatomical specimens, offering comparable skill development and practical training opportunities, especially where human resources are limited.

Introduction

Knee arthroscopic surgery is a widely used orthopedic procedure but requires a long learning curve to develop specific motor skills. Training on human anatomical specimens provides greater realism, but the availability of such materials is limited in Brazil. The use of animal models, such as porcine knees, has been explored as a viable alternative for surgical training, being an accessible option and anatomically and functionally similar to the human knee.

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness of knee arthroscopy training using porcine models compared to human knees from a tissue bank, aiming to improve the participants' surgical skills.

Methods

This is a prospective and observational study with 30 medical orthopedic residents and 5 knee surgery specialists. The participants performed three arthroscopic training sessions using both human and porcine knee models. Arthroscopic skills were evaluated through a task checklist and the Arthroscopic Skills Assessment Tool (ASSET). Execution times and perceived similarities between the models were compared. Statistical analyses were conducted using the Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Wallis tests, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results

In the orthopedic residents' group, there was a significant improvement in the execution times of arthroscopic tasks in both models (human and porcine). First-year residents reduced their times from 199.2s (3min 19s) to 97.4s (1min 37s) in the human model and from 185s(3min 5s) to 93.11s (1min 33s) in the porcine model. Second-year residents improved from 242s (4min 2s) to 70.6s (1min 11s) in the human model and from 213.44s (3min 33s) to 102.22s (1min 42s) in the porcine model. Third-year residents also showed significant improvement, reducing their times from 94.2s (1min 34s) to 58.9s in the human model and from 135.9s (2min 16s) to 76.2s (1min 16s) in the porcine model. Experienced surgeons demonstrated faster initial and final times 45.8s to 30.4s in the human model and 42.8s to 37s in the porcine model), with similar results between the models.

Conclusion

Arthroscopic training using porcine models proved to be an effective alternative to using human anatomical specimens, promoting the development of essential skills. The porcine model demonstrated adequate similarity and is a viable tool for practical training, especially in settings with limited human resources.

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