Methods for laparoscopic training using animal models.

To reduce the learning curves in humans, several training models have been developed for teaching laparoscopic surgery. The aim of various in vitro or in vivo training models is to help surgeons acquire basic laparoscopic skills such as hand-eye coordination, depth perception, and knot-tying, which should always be acquired prior to organ- or procedure-specific skills. Inexpensive video box trainers are best suited for this purpose. However, advanced laparoscopic skills, such as dissection, cutting, coagulation, and stitching, require more sophisticated animal or human cadaver models. The perfect training model should teach the skills required and should be inexpensive, universally available, and anatomically and physiologically identical to an anesthetized patient. In this paper, we review the different animal models for acquiring advanced laparoscopic skills and try to define their advantages and disadvantages.