Background: The placenta as a simulation model is used for training in microvascular repair techniques as an alternative to the use of live animals and has been validated mainly in microneurosurgery. This study performs a characterization of the placental vascular tree to determine its applicability for microsurgical training and reports the results of an assessment by residents and plastic surgeons.
Methods: The placental vessels were measured, and the morphological characterization of 18 placentas was performed. A survey was administered to 9 plastic surgery residents, 2 microsurgeons, and 1 hand surgeon after the implementation of the model in a basic microsurgery training laboratory session.
Results: Venous diameters were greater than arterial diameters in all divisions, obtaining minimum diameters of 0.8 mm and 0.6 mm, respectively. Most of the participants considered that they somewhat agreed or absolutely yes that the model faithfully reproduces a real microsurgical scenario and that the consistency of the vessels and their dissection is similar in in-vivo tissue. Furthermore, all the participants considered that this model could improve their surgical technique, reduce errors, and would propose it as a tool for microsurgical training. As some of the model's disadvantages, an abundant thick adventitia, a thin tunica media, and higher adherence to the underlying tissue were identified.
Conclusions: The color-perfused placenta is an excellent tool for microsurgical training in plastic surgery. It can faithfully reproduce a microsurgical scenario, providing abundant vasculature with variable diameters comparable to tissue in vivo. This can improve technical skills and reduce patient error