Dr Stas Shabanov, Dr Jean-Marie Wenger, Dr Jean Dubuisson, Prof. Patrick Dällenback, Dr Nicolas Buchs and Dr Nicola Pluchino elaborated a new training model for the management of severe cases of endometriosis with digestive involvement in particular, with the support of the SFITS.The study objective is « to demonstrate a new wet-lab model for training in conservative bowel endometriosis surgery (shaving and discoid resection) » and is now published in the prestigious Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology (JMIG).

This new and highly realistic model allows the next generation of endometriosis surgeons to acquire adequate training to make bowel surgery safer and more effective.

Prof. Karl Schaller, Giannina Rita Iannotti, Pavo Orepic and many more studied the Spatiotemporal Patterns Underlying Self-other Voice Discrimination. During their research, they combined psychophysics, voice-morphing technology, and high-density EEG to identify the pattern.

With 26 healthy participants, both with air-and bone-conducted stimuli, they found a self-voice-specific EEG topographic map occurring around 345 ms post-stimulus and activating a network involving insula, cingulate cortex, and medial temporal lobe structures. Specifically, the better participants performed at SOVD task, the less frequently they activated this network.

The “Cognitive Surgical” clinical research project will bring neurosurgery, cognitive neurosciences and neurotechnology together for the first time.

This project will aim at stimulating research in basic neurosciences and neurorehabilitation, at establishing an approach to cognitive neurosurgery and at studying self-awareness after a surgical intervention on brain tissue.

This innovative project will be based on innovative technologies such as virtual reality.

This research project was made possible thanks to the Pictet Fondation de bienfaisance du groupe Pictet.

An experimental study was conducted between October 2018 and December 2019 to analyze the puncture hole due to the fixation of each single pin of the pin-type head holder.

The SFITS provided infrastructure, team, equipment and anatomical specimens for this project’s completion.

The analysis signed by Alissa Visentin, Kristina van Dooren, Jan Mertens, Olivier Brina and Prof Karl Schaller has been published in the Acta Neurochirurgica.

La coxarthrose est une pathologie fréquente de l’humain vieillissant. Avec les années, l’appareil musculosquelettique de la hanche voit son cartilage s’amincir. Puis, il disparait causant des douleurs devenant insupportables et handicapantes et ne réagissant plus aux anti-inflammatoires ni aux autres médications. Le remplacement prothétique devient inévitable. Les causes sont multiples allant de la génétique, au traumatisme en passant par les maladies rhumatologiques inflammatoires.

Le projet, dirigé par les Professeurs Hoffmeyer et Hannouche, consiste à étudier les forces en jeu dans les mouvements de la hanche. ce projet est soutenu par la Fondation Ceres.

Prof Didier Hannouche, Dr Silvia Valisena and Dr Axel Gamulin conducted an anatomic study that aimed at describing the Superficial Peroneal Nerve (SPN) transition site and evaluating the occurrence of a peroneal tunnel and an intraseptal SPN variant.

15 lower limbs were used in the SFITS wetlabs, to study the SPN course and its branching, focusing on the transition site to the suprafascial layer.

The knowledge of the anatomy of the SPN course and intraseptal variant is relevant to avoid iatrogenic lesions during operative dissection

A comprehensive video produced by Dr Dimitrios Stafylakis, Dr Axel Gamulin and Dr Matthieu Zingg demonstrating the challenging trimolleolar fractures of the ankle. This educational content is published on VuMedi platform.

The SFITS provided infrastructure, team, equipment and anatomical specimens for this project’s completion.

With the support of the SFITS, Prof. Pascal Senn and Andreas Frithioff, Kenneth Weiss, Martin Frendø, Peter Trier Mikkelsen, Daniel Sieber, Mads Sølvsten Sørensen, David Bue Pedersen and Steven Arild Wuyts Andersen developped a research project based on 3D-printed temporal bone models. “The objective of this study was to create a costeffective 3D-printed model suitable for mastoidectomy training using entry level and commercially available print technologies, enabling individuals, without prior experience on 3D-printing, to manufacture their own models for basic temporal bone training.”

After identifying the best material for temporal bone replication, they succeeded in creating a cost-effective printing routine for the model using entry-level print technologies. 11 participants of the Temporal Bone Beginner Course evaluated the model during a bone dissection.

This study demonstrates the feasibility of creating new temporal bone models with anatomical variation to provide greater training opportunities.

We would like to thank Prof. Pascal Senn for his trust. We are always eager to try out and find new ways of teaching.

Our intern Bryan Kheirallah recently graduated Engineer, after successfully presented his master’s thesis at the EPFL. In collaboration with the EPFL and the SFITS, he built a free and resourceful website on surgical robots.

Interactive, rich, dynamic entry-point to all useful information, this platform lets you review and search complete data sheets about surgical robots: description, specialties of use, characteristics, analytical data, feedback from surgeons. Every robot listed on this platform is marketed, CE marked and/or FDA approved.

His master’s thesis was based on the “State of the Art in Robotic Surgery”, an inventory put together in 2021 and revised in 2023 by the Biomedical and Equipment Department of the HUG.

In addition, Bryan deeply studied all existing literature and analyzed surgeons’ feedback on their robotic experiences. He then established a white paper and a checklist of risks for hospital professionals when acquiring a surgical robot.

We take this opportunity to congratulate Bryan for his hard work and his diploma.