THE CHALLENGE
Otoscopy examinations, which examine the structures of the ear, are vital for veterinary health. Understanding and properly performing this exam on cats and dogs is a skill that requires extra practice. Movement of live animals increases the difficulty of the exam, so studying the process and beginning practice on a more manageable model is incredibly beneficial.
OUR SOLUTION
Fawzy Elnady and his colleague, Heng Tham, have developed an otoscopy training model that can be used to demonstrate the natural external and internal anatomical appearance of the external ear. Developed using an ethically sourced head preserved using the Elnady technique, the model features moveable ears and an ear canal that can be straightened to view its interior. Due to the fact that it is produced by preserving a natural specimen, the model provides natural variations and imperfections absent from fully artificial products. The model is also clean, dry, durable, flexible, safe, and odor free. This new training model has obvious benefits in the veterinary training field since it can also serve as a training tool for dental, eye, and ear nerve blocks.
A veterinary exam being performed using the developed training model.
Video otoscopic images showing normal anatomy of the tympanic membrane of the right ear of a dog. The image on top is from a live animal; the image on the bottom is from a specimen preserved using the Elnady technique. The numbers indicate key anatomical structures (1, Pars flaccida; 2, pars tensa; 3, stria mallearis; 4, tuft of hair external to the tympanic membrane)
