Puncture Training Simulator for Sacral Neuromodulation
Recently, we had the opportunity to develop a specialised training simulator designed for practicing needle puncture at the S3/S4 levels during sacral neuromodulation procedures. The simulator is built upon authentic medical data, ensuring high anatomical precision.
(Authors: Michal Šemora, Jiří Travěnec, Igor Kuba)
Recently, we had the opportunity to develop a specialised training simulator designed for practicing needle puncture at the S3/S4 levels during sacral neuromodulation procedures. The simulator is built upon authentic medical data, ensuring high anatomical precision.
One of the primary challenges of this project was the sheer size of the model. Right now, we are only hoping to have a large-format Prusa XL printer, which means we had to resort to a meticulous process of printing smaller sections, bonding them together, and hand-finishing the surfaces through extensive sanding.
The simulator's construction utilises a multi-material approach to provide a realistic tactile experience:
- Hard structures: The bones are 3D printed using durable polymers.
- Soft tissues: Musculature is cast from high-grade silicone to mimic human tissue.
- Nervous system: Key nerve bundles are represented by tubing for clear demonstration.
The entire production process spanned several months of iterative work. You can view the complexity of this build in the short video below.