Creation of a novel ex vivo 3D printed ileal conduit task trainer for teaching conduitoscopy skills.

OBJECTIVES: To perform endoscopy in patients with urinary diversions requires specific endoscopic skills, which can currently only be gained in clinical practice. We created a 3D printed ex vivo ileal conduit model (stoma and conduit with ureters and 2 kidneys) to simulate "conduitoscopy" and evaluated the realism and limitations of the model.

METHODS: Accurate anatomical features were represented using an appropriate reusable design, realistic mechanical qualities with several material types, and 3D-printed components. Different models of bowel and ureters were assessed by the subject-matter experts (SME). The final ileal conduit model (Wallace 1 type anastomosis) was evaluated by 18 SMEs.

RESULTS: Most experts gave their approval to the view of the stoma, as well as the appearance of the bowel, ureteric, and pelvicalyceal systems. A total of 72.1% of SMEs approved the ureteric endoscopic view compared to about 66% who accepted the endoscopic examination of the bowel. The model's overall appearance was good for 61.1% and excellent for 38.8% of experts.

CONCLUSION: Conduitoscopy simulation training can now be facilitated using our novel and unique cutting-edge 3D printed model. We created a model that is highly anatomically accurate and workable. In our study, anatomical and visual realism was demonstrated. The next step would be increasing the length of the conduit and conduct a validation study.