What is ‘Simulation Surgery?’

THE KEY to answering this question lies in the etymological approach. In simulation surgery based on the Webster’s International Dictionary definition of ‘simulation’, autogenous tissue from an adjacent or distant part of the patient’s body is used to simulate tissue lost for congenital, traumatic or iatrogenic reasons. Of course it can never actually be exactly the same as the tissue it is simulating, but with the simulative skills of the plastic and reconstructive surgeon it can appear similar in function, configuration and colour.

    With the development of computer technology in the early 1990’s, it was possible to use the computer as a simulative surgical tool, which follows exactly another definition as seen in the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary; the convincing recreation of a set of conditions or a real-life event (through a model or replica) especially for the purposes of training. With the extremely rapid advances in the computer technology of today, these simulations have become much more realistic, faster and more accurate and have been enhanced by the appearance of tactile and auditory feedback virtual reality programs. They could even be defined as computer simulated surgery.

    One of the main precepts of the new ISSiS is that the two approaches can be combined, so that the simulative skills of the plastic surgeon are enhanced through computer simulations of the surgical process which can be tried on screen over and over again, or the production of computer-driven life-sized solid models on which an actual procedure can be practised in a hands-on manner.