Abstract:
ERCP continues to be the supreme discipline of flexible endoscopy. Due to its clinical and technical complexity and mostly performed with therapeutic intent, ERCP training remains a major challenge in endoscopic education.
Excellent anatomical, physiological, clinical, and instrumental knowledge as well as distinct manual skills are necessary to develop sufficient competence in this field of limited case numbers. Common practice of endoscopic training on patients as "human guinea pigs" – still widely used – is clearly considered to be unethical as training alternatives do exist. The preconditions for effective training, namely patient-analog anatomy with realistic pathologies, didactic concepts with random repeatability of interventions, the use of endoscopes and instruments from everyday clinical practice, and the absence of ethics and hygiene problems – as in animal- and biomodels – have so far been inadequately solved or not solved at all.
Mechanical training models are only appropriate for beginners due to their anatomical and tactile deficits. The widely used biomodels – generally suitable for beginners and experienced clinicians – do not correlate with human anatomy, and they are also limited in the repetitiveness of interventions. In addition, they offer significant logistical and hygienical problems. Virtual simulators (highly expensive, elaborate and barely available) are limited in their training spectrum, and offer insufficient haptic feedback.
Within the scope of this thesis, prototypes of the Tübingen hands-on ERCP training phantom Biliphant were revised in all essential points and supplemented by additional modules, which were redesigned according to anatomical, clinical, and didactic requirements. In the process, many model elements were implemented, improved, or re-engineered and prepared for series production. A breakthrough for modeling has been the introduction of 3D printing technology, using the latest hardware and software.
The new hands-on ERCP phantom, which has been further optimized in this thesis, also fulfills all demanding requirements:
- Exact replication of the human anatomy of the upper gastrointestinal tract including the biliary and pancreatic system
- Modular exchangeable ducts systems (bile ducts up to 4th order, pancreatic duct) based on clinical imaging (3D reconstructions)
- Treatable pathological structures (tumors, stenoses, stones) from artificial tissue without exception, no animal organs or biomaterials
- Realistic optics and haptics
- Ethical and hygienic safety
- Use of clinic-analog equipment and instruments, no special animal endoscopes/instruments required
- All possible ERCP interventions can be performed (biopsy, all HF- and APC applications to the papilla, all types of stenosis therapy, stenting, stone therapy incl. mechanical lithotripsy and EHL, cholangioscopy, etc.).
- Repetitiveness of all procedures
- Modular setup for different training levels, individual phantom design (e.g. replication of real patient cases) by the use of 3D printing
- Virtual X-ray simulation module (X-SIM) for unlimited real-time ERCP training without any radiation exposure
The intense evaluation of the model showed that beginners and experts alike rated the phantom as very good. This especially relates to the aspects of anatomy, X-ray display, anatomy of the papilla and the realism of various interventions (explicitly the multiple options of papillotomy).
The overall evaluation of the diagnostic and therapeutic features resulted in an outstandingly good rating of the model, and the very positive individual feedback of the participants from numerous courses also proves this. For the first time, individual learning curves were created, so that a significant distinction between beginners and experts could be made, thus confirming the validity of the phantom. Especially the learning progress of supervised beginners was clearly demonstrated.
All of this indicates the significant role of the Tübingen training model for ERCP education.
Altogether, the hands-on phantom Biliphant created in this thesis has reached a new dimension in ERCP training models, which will undoubtedly benefit the education and training as well as the competence of endoscopists. Moreover, there are many opportunities for other groups, such as students, assistants and, above all, for research and development in the field of medical technology.