Before drilling the temporal bone to expose the middle ear structures, an excellent understanding of the locations and spatial relationships of key anatomical structures is needed.

 

Thorough knowledge of the procedure is important, along with an understanding of basic concepts in temporal bone surgery. Illustrations, photos and videos can be used as initial learning tools. The course additionally includes two optional units–  a simulated spatial view of the operating space and knowledge transfer to a physical medium, through the dissection of artificial temporal bones.

 

The course consists of the following units:

• Anatomical and Surgical Guide for Transmastoid Approach
• User Guide for the University of Melbourne Virtual Reality Temporal Bone Surgery Simulator
• PHACON artificial temporal bone simulation

 

Online learning will be included for all three units, however the two simulation units will have additional content related to how to perform the simulation exercises.