A synthetic model simulator for intracranial aneurysm clipping: validation of the UpSurgeOn AneurysmBox

In recent decades, the rise of endovascular management of aneurysms has led to a significant decline in operative training for surgical aneurysm clipping. Simulation has the potential to bridge this gap and benchtop synthetic simulators aim to combine the best of both anatomical realism and haptic feedback. The aim of this study was to validate a synthetic benchtop simulator for aneurysm clipping (AneurysmBox, UpSurgeOn). Expert and novice surgeons from multiple neurosurgical centres were asked to clip a terminal internal carotid artery aneurysm using the AneurysmBox. Face and content validity were evaluated using Likert scales by asking experts to complete a post-task questionnaire. Construct validity was evaluated by comparing expert and novice performance using the modified Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (mOSATS), developing a curriculum-derived assessment of Specific Technical Skills (STS), and measuring the forces exerted using a force-sensitive glove. Ten experts and eighteen novices completed the task. Most experts agreed that the brain looked realistic (8/10), but far fewer agreed that the brain felt realistic (2/10). Half the expert participants (5/10) agreed that the aneurysm clip application task was realistic. When compared to novices, experts had a significantly higher median mOSATS (27 vs. 14.5;