Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40105215›Full record

ArticleThe Laryngoscope2025

The Sheep Head Versus the Pig Head as a Training Model for Sialendoscopy.

Urs Borner, Samuel Tschopp, Michael Stewart, Olcay Cem Bulut, Frederic Faure, Gunther Pabst, Robert Irvine, Hila Klein, Shirish Ghan, Claudio Cernea and 10 more

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The Laryngoscope, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Urs BornerDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-1186-4181
Samuel TschoppDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-5666-2092
Michael StewartOtolaryngology, Weill Cornell, New York, New York, USA.
Olcay Cem BulutORL-HNS, Rhein-Neckar Zentrum Mannheim, Viernheim, Germany.
Frederic FaureORL-HNS, University Hospital Lyon, Lyon, France.
Gunther PabstORL-HNS, Luzern Kantonsspital, Lucerne, Switzerland.
Robert IrvineORL-HNS, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Hila KleinOMFS, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.
Shirish GhanORL-HNS, Yashali ENT Hospital, Nashik, India.
Claudio CerneaORL-HNS, University of São Paulo School of Medicine, São Paulo, Brazil.
Zahoor AhmadORL-HNS, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
David EiseleJohns Hopkins Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Sandro de Paiva LeiteORL-HNS, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.ORCID 0000-0001-8686-6603
Marco CaversaccioDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Lukas AnschuetzDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-6927-0664
Jean Michel LopezORL-HNS, OMFS, Hospital Center of Perpignan, Perpignan, France.
Francois MarchalEuropean Sialendoscopy Training Center, Geneva, Switzerland.
Siu-Kwan NgORL-HNS, Chinese University of Hong-Kong, Hong Kong.ORCID 0000-0002-8274-0664
Olivier AbboudEuropean Sialendoscopy Training Center, Geneva, Switzerland.
Francis MarchalEuropean Sialendoscopy Training Center, Geneva, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveSialendoscopy is a minimally invasive technique for treating inflammatory salivary gland diseases, requiring hands-on training due to its steep learning curve. While pig heads have been the standard training model for over two decades, sheep heads have recently emerged as an alternative. This study evaluates the efficiency of sheep heads for sialendoscopy training in newcomers.

methodsParticipants of the 32nd International Sialendoscopy Hands-on Course (Geneva, 2023) performed sialendoscopies on fresh pig and sheep heads. Self-assessment questionnaires were completed pre- and post-training, with procedures rated on a Likert scale. Tutors evaluated participants using standardized assessments and recorded procedural times.

resultsAmong 52 participants from 27 countries, significant improvement in diagnostic sialendoscopy comfort was reported for both models post-training. Female participants demonstrated higher success rates than male participants in diagnostic (2.8 vs. 2.5, p = 0.03) and therapeutic (2.9 vs. 2.4, p = 0.03) procedures. More participants successfully cannulated the parotid duct on sheep heads, while submandibular gland performance was comparable across models. Self-assessments favored sheep for parotid (63%) and pigs for submandibular (79%). Overall, 53% preferred the pig model, while 47% preferred the sheep.

conclusionBoth models are effective for training, with sheep heads offering advantages for parotid duct procedures. Despite the pig model's broader applications, logistical, cultural, and ethical constraints make sheep heads a viable alternative for sialendoscopy training. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A.

Indexed as

EndoscopyAnimalsClinical CompetenceFemaleHumansMaleModels, AnimalSheepSwineovine modelporcine modelsalivary glandsialendoscopytraining model

Identifiers

PMID40105215
PMCPMC12255376

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.