{"id":141744,"key":"TissueDB/Simulators/Cranial_Burr_Hole_and_Craniotomy_Simulator_(Bakhshi)","title":"TissueDB/Simulators/Cranial Burr Hole and Craniotomy Simulator (Bakhshi)","latest":{"id":1277622,"timestamp":"2026-09-28T05:38:42Z"},"content_model":"wikitext","license":{"url":"https://www.appropedia.org/Appropedia:Copyrights","title":"CC-BY-SA-4.0"},"source":"{{TissueDB Simulator Layout\n| name = Cranial Burr Hole and Craniotomy Simulator (Bakhshi)\n| procedure = Cranial burr-hole drilling and craniotomy (cranial access), taught as a neurosurgery bootcamp skill station\n| hero_image_license = No hero image. Bakhshi et al. (2022) is published under CC BY 4.0, but the article does not contain an image of the burr-hole/craniotomy simulator. Its simulator figure depicts the separate lumbar spine simulator.\n| lead_paragraph = The '''Cranial Burr Hole and Craniotomy Simulator (Bakhshi)''' is a 3D-printed ABS skull used for practising two fundamental cranial-access skills: drilling burr holes and performing a craniotomy.<ref name=\"bakhshi2022\">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: [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03965-9 10.1186/s12909-022-03965-9]. PMID: [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36578075/ 36578075]. PMC: [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9795592/ PMC9795592]. CC BY 4.0.</ref> The simulator was used during a national neurosurgery bootcamp for PGY-1 residents in Karachi, Pakistan. Trainees used a cranial perforator for burr-hole drilling and an electronic craniotome and cutter for craniotomy practice.\n| features = Learners practise burr-hole drilling and craniotomy on a 3D-printed skull using standard neurosurgical cranial-access instruments. During the bootcamp, participants performed each skill at least three times. Burr-hole and craniotomy were two of the four skills formally evaluated with the modified Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (mOSATS).\n| dev_status = Used in a national neurosurgery bootcamp attended by 22 PGY-1 residents. Burr-hole drilling and craniotomy were specifically evaluated by faculty using mOSATS, comparing first and third attempts. The study reported significant improvement across the assessed cranial-skill domains. This is supervised bootcamp performance evidence; transfer to independent operating-room performance or patient outcomes was not evaluated.\n| build_time = Not stated in source\n| cost = US$57 per 3D-printed skull.\n| specialized_tools = A 3D printer capable of printing ABS is required to fabricate the skull, but the source does not specify the printer or print settings. For training use, the source used a cranial perforator for burr holes and an electronic craniotome and cutter for craniotomy. Perforators and cutters were reused from the operating room after sterilisation; the electronic craniotome was supplied free of charge by vendors during the bootcamp and is not part of the US$57 skull cost.\n| version = Version 1\n| dev_team_contact = Saqib Kamran Bakhshi, Medical College, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan; saqib.bakhshi@aku.edu. The simulator was used within the national neurosurgery bootcamp reported by Bakhshi et al. (2022).\n| tissues_rows = <tr>\n<td>[[TissueDB/Tissues/Bone|Bone]]</td>\n<td>1 adult cranium</td>\n<td>3D-printed [[TissueDB/Materials/ABS|Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)]]</td>\n<td>US$57</td>\n<td>The source explicitly states that burr holes and craniotomies were performed on 3D-printed ABS skulls. The skull represents the bony cranium only. No Dura Mater or Brain representation is present in this simulator.</td>\n</tr>\n| build_instructions = === Source-defined construction information ===\n\nBakhshi et al. (2022) identifies the simulator as a 3D-printed adult cranium made from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).\n\nThe publication does '''not''' provide:\n\n* an STL or CAD file;\n* a source URL for the skull geometry;\n* printer make or model;\n* nozzle diameter;\n* layer height;\n* infill;\n* wall thickness;\n* print orientation;\n* support settings;\n* slicing profile; or\n* total printing time.\n\nFor this reason, the publication alone is not sufficient to reproduce the exact Bakhshi skull geometry or print configuration. A separately verified digital model would be required for faithful reconstruction.\n\n=== Phase 1: Fabricate the cranial model ===\n\n'''Step 1.''' Obtain an adult cranium geometry suitable for 3D printing.\n\n'''Source limitation:''' the exact geometry used by Bakhshi et al. is not published. Do not describe an independently obtained skull model as the original Bakhshi STL.\n\n'''Step 2.''' Fabricate the cranial model in ABS using an appropriate 3D-printing process.\n\n'''Source limitation:''' Bakhshi et al. identifies ABS as the material but does not publish print settings or printing time.\n\nBefore use, inspect the printed skull for gross defects that would prevent the intended burr-hole or craniotomy exercise. The source does not prescribe this as an acceptance criterion.\n\n=== Phase 2: Set up the cranial-access station ===\n\n'''Step 1.''' Position the printed skull so that the cranial vault is accessible for drilling.\n\n'''Source limitation:''' Bakhshi et al. does not describe a frame, skull holder, clamp, fixation device or mounting method.\n\n'''Editorial setup requirement:''' stabilise the skull sufficiently for the planned supervised drilling exercise using an appropriate local method. This requirement follows from the physical task but is not presented as a source-described Bakhshi component.\n\n=== Phase 3: Burr-hole practice ===\n\n'''Step 1.''' Use the cranial perforator to practise making burr holes in the 3D-printed skull.\n\n'''Step 2.''' Repeat the supervised skill as required by the training session. In the published bootcamp, participants performed each skill at least three times.\n\n'''Evidence note:''' burr-hole performance was one of the four skills formally assessed with mOSATS. First- and third-attempt scores were compared by the study.\n\n=== Phase 4: Craniotomy practice ===\n\n'''Step 1.''' Use the electronic craniotome and cutter to practise the craniotomy task on the ABS skull.\n\n'''Step 2.''' Repeat the supervised skill as required by the training session.\n\n'''Evidence note:''' craniotomy was also one of the four skills formally assessed with mOSATS. The study reported improvement between first and third attempts across the assessed cranial-skill domains.\n\n=== Scope and limitations ===\n\n* The simulator represents the '''bony cranium only'''.\n* It does not reproduce the dura, brain, vessels or other intracranial tissues.\n* Exact STL/CAD geometry and 3D-print settings are not published.\n* Total printing or construction time is not stated.\n* The published performance findings apply to the specifically assessed burr-hole and craniotomy exercises and must not be generalized to all twelve skills taught during the bootcamp.\n* Operating-room skills transfer and patient outcomes were not evaluated.\n* The paper reports an ABS melting-point value of 145.2 °F. That value is retained as a source anomaly and is not used here as a fabrication specification or silently replaced with an externally derived ABS property.\n}}\n\n== See also ==\n\n* [[TissueDB/Simulators/Lumbar Laminectomy and Dural Closure Simulator (Bakhshi)|Lumbar Laminectomy and Dural Closure Simulator (Bakhshi)]] — the spine-surgery simulator from the same neurosurgery bootcamp.\n\n{{Page data\n| description = 3D-printed ABS adult skull used for supervised burr-hole and craniotomy training in the Bakhshi national neurosurgery bootcamp; exact digital geometry and print settings were not published.\n| keywords = burr hole, craniotomy, cranial access, neurosurgery, 3D printing, ABS, skull simulator, bootcamp, Bakhshi, TissueDB\n}}\n\n[[Category:TissueDB]]\n[[Category:TissueDB/Simulators]]"}