Training for endoscopic surgical procedures should be performed in the dissection room: a randomized study.
Laparoscopic surgery is associated with a shallow learning curve. AnubiFiX embalming technique enables laparoscopic surgical training on supple embalmed and hence insufflatable human specimens in the dissection room. Aim of the present trial is to test whether dissection-based anatomy education is superior to classical frontal classroom education on the short and long term.



A total of 112 medical students were randomized in three groups. Group I attended classroom education, group II laparoscopic dissection-based education and group III received both. All groups completed an anatomy test on human specimens before, immediately after and 3 weeks after the anatomy training.



Group II and III scored significantly better compared to group I immediately after the anatomy training (p I-II < 0.001, p I-III < 0.001). This difference was still significant after 3 weeks (p I-II < 0.001, p I-III < 0.001). No significant difference was found between group II and group III immediately after the course (p = 0.86), nor at the follow-up (p = 0.054).



The AnubiFiX™ embalming technique enables laparoscopic anatomy education in human specimens, with superior outcomes on the short and long term, as compared to classical frontal classroom education.
Department of Surgery, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, 's Gravendijkwal 230, PO BOX 2040, 3000, CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. pj.klitsie@gmail.com.
Pieter J
PJ
Klitsie
Department of Surgery, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, 's Gravendijkwal 230, PO BOX 2040, 3000, CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Bart
B
Ten Brinke
Department of Psychiatry, Section of Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy and the Institute of Medical Education Research Rotterdam (iMERR), Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Reinier
R
Timman
Department of Psychiatry, Section of Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy and the Institute of Medical Education Research Rotterdam (iMERR), Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Jan J V
JJ
Busschbach
Department of Surgery, VieCuri Medical Center, Venlo, The Netherlands.
Hilco P
HP
Theeuwes
Department of Surgery, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, 's Gravendijkwal 230, PO BOX 2040, 3000, CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Johan F
JF
Lange
Department of Neuroscience and Anatomy, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Gert-Jan
GJ
Kleinrensink
D000715:Anatomy / Q000193:education*; D004210:Dissection / Q000193:education*; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D004615:Embalming / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000193:education*; D059032:Learning Curve; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands
Anatomy; Education; Endoscopy; Surgery