Abstract: Objective To evaluate the educational value of a high-fidelity lung model in training foundational skills for thoracoscopic lung resection. Methods A self-controlled study design was employed. Fifteen novice surgeons without prior thoracoscopic surgical experience, who participated in a thoracoscopic skills training program at Peking University People's Hospital from May 2022 to September 2023, were enrolled. The surgeons underwent a two-week structured curriculum covering five core thoracoscopic procedures: thoracic exploration, vascular dissection and division, lymphadenectomy, lung wedge resection, and specimen retrieval using an endoscopic retrieval bag. Skill assessments were conducted before and after training for each procedure. Paired-sample t-tests were used to compare skill scores before and after training. Results Following training, participants demonstrated significant improvements in all five core thoracoscopic skills compared to baseline [(1.0 ± 0) vs. (2.9 ± 0.8), (1.0 ± 0) vs. (3.2 ± 0.9), (1.0 ± 0) vs. (2.9 ± 0.4), (1.4 ± 0.5) vs. (3.7 ± 0.9), and (1.0 ± 0) vs. (2.6 ± 0.6), all P<0.001]. Conclusions Simulation-based training utilizing a high-fidelity lung model significantly enhances thoracoscopic surgical skills among novice surgeons. This approach provides an innovative solution for safe and efficient thoracoscopic skills training.

Key words: Thoracic surgery, Simulation training, Video-assisted thoracic surgery, High-fidelity model