Iterative Design and Manufacturing of a 3D-Printed Pediatric Open and Laparoscopic Integrated Simulator for Hernia Repair (POLISHeR)

Inguinal hernia is a common childhood pathology, making inguinal hernia repair (IHR) a key pediatric surgical procedure. Surgical success relies heavily on knowledge of groin anatomy, and both open and laparoscopic approaches require considerable repetition to master. As surgical simulators have been shown to improve performance for other surgical procedures, we developed a combined open and laparoscopic pediatric IHR simulator—named POLISHeR—to train residents, fellows, and practicing surgeons in both types of repair.