Bicycle Inner Tube Model

This model was developed by Dr. Jack Pfenninger and used in his courses with the National Procedure Institute.

Later, Dr. John Curington published an article about the model with then medical student (now transplant surgeon) Taylor Coe.

The main components of the model are.

– bicycle inner tube
– latex tubing
– Penrose drain

For the inner tube, a relatively thin-walled “mountain bike” inner tube works best. Road bike inner tubes are too narrow, and puncture-resistant thick-walled tubes make the skin feel too rigid. For the vasa, a latex tube of 1/8 inch outer diameter, 1/16 inch inner diameter, and 1/32 inch wall does a good job of imitating a typical vas. For the Penrose drain, the 1/4 inch size make a relatively realistic fascia.

Below are a few photographs of the model:

Vasectomy Training Model using a bicycle inner tube
three-finger grasp using bicycle inner tube vasectomy model
Spreading the skin and fascia as shown on bicycle inner tube vasectomy model
grasping the vas using the “12 o’clock slit”
cleaning the fascia off the vas using the dissecting forceps

click here for a PDF of the article that describes the model in detail.