Fetoscopic testing of the Surgical Touch model was done. The Model can be well used for fetoscopy but is not usable as model for ultrasound guidance. Several attempts have been mad to improve image quality in the Canadian surgical touch model:
-Erasing all bubbles from the water by compressing the abdominal wall
-Using destillated water to fill the model
-Using dishwater imbued water.
None of those interventions improved the quality of the ultrasound imaging. We saw a broad echogenic band in the abdominal wall of the mock-up. It appeared to us that there was air entrapped between layers.
We therefore designed a new model to simulate fetoscopy with ultrasound:
-Rubber was used as abdominal wall with good ultrasound compatibility
-Watertight box was build (see Benoit Rosa)
-Entrance point was chosen for fetoscope
-In a next step a silicone made placenta has been designed to test the model in more realistic ways.