Objective: To evaluate the features, anatomic accuracy, and educational value of a high-fidelity bilateral cleft lip simulator.
Design: Evaluation of the simulator by expert cleft surgeons after performing a simulated bilateral cleft lip repair.
Setting: The simulator was evaluated by the surgeons during the Latin American Craniofacial Association meeting.
Participants: Eleven experienced cleft surgeons evaluated the simulator. The cleft surgeons were selected based on their availability during the meeting.
Interventions: The participants performed a simulated bilateral cleft lip repair. They were each provided with a questionnaire assessing the simulator's features, realism and value as a training tool.
Main outcome measure (s): The main outcome measure are the scores obtained from a Likert-type questionnaire assessing the simulators features, realism and value.
Results: Overall, the surgeons agreed with the simulator's realism and anatomic accuracy (average score of 3.7 out of 5). Overall, the surgeons strongly agreed with the value of the simulator as a training tool (average score of 4.6 out of 5).
Conclusions: A high-fidelity bilateral cleft lip simulator was developed that is realistic and valuable as a training tool. The simulator provides a comprehensive training platform to gain hands-on experience in bilateral cleft lip repair before operating on real patients.
Keywords: Anatomy; Cleft lip; Craniofacial surgery; Facial cleft.