From a Surgeon's Gap to a Training Model: Our Cases

Oculoplastic surgery: M.A.R.K.O. LID and LidSUMMIT

From a clinical complaint to an accredited European course, and still being revised.

1. The gapEyelid surgery can hardly be practised before the first patient. Donor tissue is scarce and animal tissue does not match the anatomy.
2. The cliniciansUniv.-Prof. Dr. Marko Konschake and the Institute of Clinical and Functional Anatomy in Innsbruck, later the whole LidSUMMIT faculty of 13 surgeons and anatomists.
3. The modelM.A.R.K.O. LID, a multi-layer 3D printed eyelid model with more than 50 volumes and 7 base materials, now in revision L3-B1.
4. The courseLidSUMMIT Tirol, an EACCME accredited hands-on course. Three editions, 80 places, all taken.
5. The recognitionFunded by the State of Tyrol, reported by Stratasys as Europe's first 3D printed eyelid surgery training models, and refined with the feedback of every participant.

This is the case that taught us the method, including the detours. It took years, about 245,000 euros until the funded project ended and an estimated 400,000 euros to date, and more than 20 named partners. We have written all of it down, with the timeline, the costs, the people and the six lessons we would pass on to the next specialty.

Read the full case study LidSUMMIT Tirol

Vascular surgery: VascuTrain

A modular simulator for open vascular surgery, starting with the carotid artery.

1. The gapEndarterectomy, patch plasty, anastomoses, vessel exposure and bleeding control have to be learned by hand. Realistic, repeatable and affordable practice is rare.
2. The cliniciansFlorian Enzmann, MD, PhD, FEBVS, and Dr. David Wippel, vascular surgeons at the Medical University of Innsbruck. They built and tested the proof of concept themselves.
3. The modelOn their commission, eyecre.at and Addion are turning it into a cost-efficient product: a training head, an exchangeable tissue block, single arteries with multi-layer vessel walls, all in one carry case.
4. The courseNext: first courses on the models, with standardised assessment (OSATS, DOPS) and an evaluation form from day one.
5. The recognitionNext: validation study with the two surgeons as authors.

The project started in November 2025. Several versions of the carotid vessel bundle were printed and tested before the design settled, and the first complete prototype in its carry case was ready in September 2026. The femoral bifurcation is next, the aorta after that, and the same platform can carry dialysis shunt and crural bypass modules. It moved faster than the eyelid model did, because the material tests, the frame logic and the feedback loops were already there.

Gynaecology and obstetrics: perineal repair and hysteroscopy

This is what the very first step looks like. No model exists yet, and that is the point.

1. The gapSuturing a perineal tear after birth means closing every tissue layer correctly, including the sphincter muscles, not only the surface. Today that is mostly learned on the patient.
2. The cliniciansThe head of a gynaecology and obstetrics department in Austria came to us with the idea in July 2026. Names follow when the project is agreed.
3. The modelIn concept: a layered perineal repair trainer in two variants (table model and pelvis inlay), and a uterus for hysteroscopy with exchangeable polyp and myoma inserts.
4. The courseThe interest is explicitly in a complete course, not only in models.
5. The recognitionOpen.

What happens at this stage: we clarify who will train on the model and which layers it must show, check the anatomical data with the anatomy institute in Innsbruck, and estimate effort, print volumes and duration. Nothing is designed before that is clear. The surgeon gets an honest number and a plan, and help with the funding application if the clinic budget does not cover it.