TissueDB/Simulators/Cranial Burr Hole and Craniotomy Simulator (Bakhshi)

The Cranial Burr Hole and Craniotomy Simulator (Bakhshi) is a low-cost, 3D-printed skull for practising the two fundamental cranial-access skills — drilling a burr hole and turning a craniotomy. Trainees drill both on the printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) cranium with the same perforator and craniotome they would use in the operating room. It was used as one station of the first low-cost, multi-centre national neurosurgery bootcamp for postgraduate year-1 residents in Karachi, Pakistan.

Direct source: Bakhshi et al. 2022, BMC Medical Education. The bootcamp this station belongs to took its curriculum from the Society of Neurological Surgeons national fundamentals course, which the source names as its origin: Selden NR, Origitano TC, Burchiel KJ, et al., "A national fundamentals curriculum for neurosurgery PGY1 residents: the 2010 Society of Neurological Surgeons boot camp courses", Neurosurgery 2012;70(4):971–81, with the Society's own Intern Boot Camp course page. This page covers the simulator only.

Step 1: Obtain the adult skull geometry. Source a 3D-printable adult cranium model. The source does not publish the STL/CAD file or print settings. Obtain the geometry from the authors (Aga Khan University) to reproduce the exact model.

Step 2: Print the skull in ABS. Print the cranium in acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) on a 3D printer. The source names ABS as the material and states no print settings.

Checkpoint: Confirm the printed cranium is intact and free of print defects. Confirm it represents the adult skull vault that receives the burr holes and the craniotomy.

Step 1: Secure the skull for drilling. Steady the printed skull on the work surface and present the vault for drilling. The source describes no frame, holder or fixation for the skull; this step is our own build guidance.

Step 2: Drill the burr holes. With a cranial perforator, drill burr holes at the chosen points on the vault. Practise controlled entry. In the source bootcamp each skill was performed at least three times.

Step 3: Turn the craniotomy. With the electronic craniotome and cutter, connect the burr holes to raise a bone flap. Practise the craniotomy cut on the printed skull.

Checkpoint: Verify a clean burr hole and a connected craniotomy cut.

The station reproduces only the bony step of cranial access. The printed skull models the cranium, not the underlying dura or brain. In the source bootcamp, dural and brain work were taught separately. The source does not publish the exact skull geometry or the print settings, so faithful reproduction needs the authors' file. The source states an ABS melting point of 145.2 °F (≈63 °C), which appears inconsistent with ABS. This page reports that figure as printed.

Sources consulted for this page but not cited at a specific claim:

• Bakhshi SK, Ahmad R, Merchant AAH, Noorali AA, Abdul Rahim K, Shaikh NQ, Afzal N, Lakhdir MPA, Shamim MS, Haider AH. "Development, outcome and costs of a simulation-based neurosurgery bootcamp at the national level." BMC Medical Education 2022;22:896. DOI: 10.1186/s12909-022-03965-9. PMID: 36578075. PMC9795592. Licensed CC BY 4.0.

• Lumbar Laminectomy and Dural Closure Simulator (Bakhshi) — the spine-surgery station of the same Bakhshi neurosurgery bootcamp family.