{"title":"A novel approach to nasopharyngoscopy in canine and feline cadavers: development and application of 3-dimensional-printed instrument guides.","authors":"Miruna Munteanu, Brian Hardy","doi":"10.2460/ajvr.25.01.0005","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To develop and evaluate the use of 3-D-printed instrument guides for nasopharyngoscopy, focusing on maneuverability, the ability to biopsy the nasal choanae, and foreign body retrieval.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Various sizes of 3-D-printed guides (small, medium, large) and angles (160°, 170°, 175°, and 180°) were tested alongside retroflex nasopharyngoscopy in cadavers. Four cadavers representing different sizes and species (3 canines and 1 feline) were utilized to evaluate the success of the 3-D-printed instrument guides. The study evaluated the maneuverability of each guide within the nasopharynx, along with their effectiveness in facilitating choanal biopsies and retrieving a simulated grass foreign body. Performance was compared across guides to determine the most effective design.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The 180° guide had limited maneuverability and was unable to facilitate biopsies or foreign body retrieval. The 175° guide showed moderate maneuverability and successfully performed biopsies and foreign body removal, although with mild resistance to movement. The 170° guide demonstrated high maneuverability, enabling smooth access in all directions and consistent procedural success. The 160° guide exhibited the greatest flexibility and procedural success, providing superior maneuverability and ease of use.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Three-dimensional-printed instrument guides with more acute angles improve nasopharyngeal access and procedural efficiency. The 160° guide showed the greatest potential for clinical application in facilitating biopsies and foreign body removal.</p><p><strong>Clinical relevance: </strong>Three-dimensional-printed nasopharyngoscopy guides enhance diagnostic and therapeutic procedures by improving access, biopsy collection, and foreign body retrieval. More acute angles offer greater maneuverability, supporting their clinical use for minimally invasive nasopharyngeal interventions in veterinary medicine.</p>","PeriodicalId":7754,"journal":{"name":"American journal of veterinary research","volume":" ","pages":"1-7"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"American journal of veterinary research","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.25.01.0005","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"VETERINARY SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: To develop and evaluate the use of 3-D-printed instrument guides for nasopharyngoscopy, focusing on maneuverability, the ability to biopsy the nasal choanae, and foreign body retrieval.
Methods: Various sizes of 3-D-printed guides (small, medium, large) and angles (160°, 170°, 175°, and 180°) were tested alongside retroflex nasopharyngoscopy in cadavers. Four cadavers representing different sizes and species (3 canines and 1 feline) were utilized to evaluate the success of the 3-D-printed instrument guides. The study evaluated the maneuverability of each guide within the nasopharynx, along with their effectiveness in facilitating choanal biopsies and retrieving a simulated grass foreign body. Performance was compared across guides to determine the most effective design.
Results: The 180° guide had limited maneuverability and was unable to facilitate biopsies or foreign body retrieval. The 175° guide showed moderate maneuverability and successfully performed biopsies and foreign body removal, although with mild resistance to movement. The 170° guide demonstrated high maneuverability, enabling smooth access in all directions and consistent procedural success. The 160° guide exhibited the greatest flexibility and procedural success, providing superior maneuverability and ease of use.
Conclusions: Three-dimensional-printed instrument guides with more acute angles improve nasopharyngeal access and procedural efficiency. The 160° guide showed the greatest potential for clinical application in facilitating biopsies and foreign body removal.
Clinical relevance: Three-dimensional-printed nasopharyngoscopy guides enhance diagnostic and therapeutic procedures by improving access, biopsy collection, and foreign body retrieval. More acute angles offer greater maneuverability, supporting their clinical use for minimally invasive nasopharyngeal interventions in veterinary medicine.
期刊介绍:
The American Journal of Veterinary Research supports the collaborative exchange of information between researchers and clinicians by publishing novel research findings that bridge the gulf between basic research and clinical practice or that help to translate laboratory research and preclinical studies to the development of clinical trials and clinical practice. The journal welcomes submission of high-quality original studies and review articles in a wide range of scientific fields, including anatomy, anesthesiology, animal welfare, behavior, epidemiology, genetics, heredity, infectious disease, molecular biology, oncology, pharmacology, pathogenic mechanisms, physiology, surgery, theriogenology, toxicology, and vaccinology. Species of interest include production animals, companion animals, equids, exotic animals, birds, reptiles, and wild and marine animals. Reports of laboratory animal studies and studies involving the use of animals as experimental models of human diseases are considered only when the study results are of demonstrable benefit to the species used in the research or to another species of veterinary interest. Other fields of interest or animals species are not necessarily excluded from consideration, but such reports must focus on novel research findings. Submitted papers must make an original and substantial contribution to the veterinary medicine knowledge base; preliminary studies are not appropriate.