Creation of a Proof-of-Concept 3D-Printed Spinal Lateral Access Simulator
Published in Cureus, 2022
Citation: Pullen, M. W., Valero-Moreno, F., Rajendran, S., Shah, V. U., Bruneau, B. R., Martinez, J. L., Ramos-Fresnedo, A., Quinones-Hinojosa, A., & Fox, W. C. (2022). Creation of a Proof-of-Concept 3D-Printed Spinal Lateral Access Simulator. Cureus, 14(5), e25448. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.25448
Minimally invasive lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) offers advantages over traditional approaches, providing indirect decompression of neural elements and deformity correction while avoiding many challenges and risks of anterior and posterior approaches. Mastering this technique requires a specialized team, advanced equipment, and sufficient case exposure. Current training is limited to the classic educational model, and alternative training methods such as cadaver labs can be inconvenient, inaccessible, expensive, and incompatible with intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) systems.