Usefulness of Laparoscopic Surgical Training Using a Cadaver in Gynecologic Malignancies

Introduction: Laparoscopic surgical training using cadavers is gradually increasing in Japan. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the usefulness of our cadaveric surgical training using questionnaires.Materials and Methods: A laparoscopic surgical training was held in our department using a saturated salt solution-embalmed cadaver. The participants performed laparoscopic radical hysterectomy and para-aortic lymphadenectomy turn wise after checking the pelvic anatomy of blood vessels and nerves under the guidance of an educator. All the 13 participants completed the quantitative questionnaires on confidence of laparoscopic surgical skills and pelvic anatomical knowledge before and after training. The scores of each participant on each item were summed before and after training, and this score was defined as the self-confidence score.Results: The self-confidence score for all the items increased after the training with the highest increase in the item “understanding of pelvic anatomy”. In a questionnaire that surveyed the overall usefulness of the training, the level of satisfaction with the training was very high; however, some participants did not feel that their skills had improved after the training.Conclusions: The training on laparoscopic surgery using a cadaver was highly satisfactory to the participants. This training increased their confidence in understanding the pelvic anatomy. Although the training is still limited in Japan, it could be made more meaningful by focusing on deepening the anatomical knowledge of the participants.