Numerous medical training institutions find that integrating laparoscopic simulation into their curriculum both improves training outcomes and ultimately supports better patient care. Benefit from VirtaMed’s decades of experience and expertise in laparoscopy training and education. Your residents will enter the OR with confidence!
Prof. Dieter Hahnloser, Head Physician Visceral Surgery, CHUV Lausanne, Switzerland
Patient Position
Start training with your patient in the right position relative to the operative team. Organs move individually and in real time.
Active Trocars™
Advanced tissue feedback gives you the sense of touching, lifting and applying tension to simulated organs and tissues.
Train Together
Surgeons learn to master their instruments alongside an assistant with a camera, optimally preparing them for the operating room.
LaparoS™ Essential Skills
The perfect setup to practice essential laparoscopic skills while benefiting from mixed reality training. Objective feedback metrics provide proficiency-based feedback to help residents accelerate their learning curve.
Using a simulated 0° and 30° optic, residents can become proficient in camera navigation, eye-hand coordination, and development of ambidextrous psychomotor skills. All instruments have authentic ring handles and virtual instrument tips such as clip applicators, scissors, needle holder and atraumatic graspers.
Discover LaparoS™ Essential Skills
LaparoS™ General Surgery
Start by positioning your patient, reverse Trendelenburg or supine, and place Active Trocars™ for your scope and instruments. Stand side-by-side with a colleague for team training, or train in stand-alone mode.
Inserting the laparoscope allows you to examine the entire insufflated peritoneal cavity as you introduce more trocars and instruments. Use a combination of blunt dissection and electrosurgical instruments, and feel tissue feedback individual to each organ.
Condensed training cases focus on specific skills and adverse events, allowing residents to focus on repeating and mastering each skill individually. Improve ambidextrous and non-dominant hand skills using rare Situs inversus totalis patient cases. Choose which anatomical variations you encounter to avoid surprises in the OR.

LaparoS™ Gynecological Laparoscopy
Start by moving your patient into the Trendelenburg position and place Active Trocars™ for your scope and instruments. Stand side-by-side with a colleague for team training, or train in stand-alone mode.
Residents progress through training cases for diagnostic laparoscopy, anatomy identification, clipping and cutting, and more training cases derived from highly realistic scenarios including Hysterectomy, Tubal Sterilization, Ovarian Cystectomy, Salpingectomy, Adnexectomy, and Salpingotomy for management of ectopic pregnancies.
The platform is also compatible with the VirtaMed GynoS™ Hysteroscopy training modules to provide comprehensive training in line with ACGME, ABOG and ACOG milestones.
Discover LaparoS™ Gynecological Laparoscopy

VirtaMed laparoscopic platform
VirtaMed LaparoS™ includes an anatomically correct abdomen model that can be used for (reverse) Trendelenburg positioning as appropriate to the training case. Free choice of portals enables trainees to learn instrument handling with different trocar placement. Realistic laparoscopic instruments have been adapted for simulation and combine full freedom of movement with authentic haptic interactions. The simulator is optimized for ergonomic training with an adjustable operative height and a movable multi-touch screen.
VirtaMed LaparoS™ is a multidisciplinary platform, allowing you to rapidly switch between laparoscopy and further VirtaMed modules and anatomies: GynoS™, UroS™ and ArthroS™.
Support
We offer several different levels of service and support packages tailored specifically to the needs of hospitals and training centers. These can provide you with completed coverage (and peace of mind) when it comes to protecting your investment and getting the most out of your simulator. More about VirtaMed customer service and support
VirtaMed Connect™
Keep your focus on education with remote access; conveniently assign courses and manage curricula, and motivate students with online leader boards, all from the convenience of your office.
Connect lets you track student and cohort progress, helping you easily coach students on key areas for improvement and capture and compare student results over time.
Use Connect to scale simulation to your needs. Because it is cloud-based, Connect can help you easily manage multi-simulator or multi-site training programs.
Go to the Connect FAQs webpage
Download the VirtaMed Connect Factsheet
Training & Education
Our T&E team is here to help you get the most out of your simulator. In addition to introductory sessions, the T&E team offers in-depth training in a variety of areas and in multiple languages (English, German, French, Italian and Chinese). The T&E team can organize trainings that are as diverse as our customers, catering to groups of all sizes and interests. For example, they have helped customers develop courses for trainees preparing for the European board exam or the Swiss Orthopedic exam as well as courses for experienced professionals looking to train on the less-common joints such as the ankle. More about the VirtaMed Training & Education services
Partnership Between AANA and VirtaMed Aims to Improve Arthroscopy Education
January 28, 2019
Since the beginning of their exclusive partnership in January 2018, experts from the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) and VirtaMed have worked together to develop the first of several enhancements to the ArthroS™ simulator for knee, shoulder, hip, and FAST.VirtaMed awarded top Swiss exporter
March 26, 2019
Over 95% of VirtaMed’s high-fidelity medical training simulators are exported from the company’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, to medical educators around the world. From the USA to China, the 11-year-old company aspires to change the way that medical skills are taught using virtual-reality based simulators.Simulation with the 20+2 approach
April 06, 2019
The standardized 20+2 approach for obstetric ultrasound examination, is included in the new Obstetric Ultrasound simulator from VirtaMed. Launched during the 2019 annual conference of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM), VirtaMed’s GynoS™ simulator extends its training modules to include transabdominal and transvaginal obstetric ultrasound.AANA’s Simulation Room: The Latest in Arthroscopy Education
September 30, 2019
The Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) will debut the AANA J. Whit Ewing, M.D. Simulation Room in the Orthopaedic Learning Center (OLC) with a Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Oct. 4. The room is named in honor of the late J. Whit Ewing, M.D., a founding member of AANA, former AANA president and pioneer of the “hands-on” advanced skills courses that AANA still offers today.A revolution in laparoscopy training: KARL STORZ and VirtaMed leap beyond VR simulation
February 03, 2020
KARL STORZ, the leading endoscope and surgical instruments manufacturer, and VirtaMed, world leader in medical training simulation, introduce a novel mixed reality simulator bringing innovation to laparoscopy skills training.Efficacy of an Arthroscopic Virtual Based Simulator for Orthopedic Surgery Residents by Year in Training
Yari S, Jandhyala C, Sharareh B, Athiviraham A, Shybut T.
Determine the utility of the ArthroS™ arthroscopic simulator for orthopedic trainees based on their level of training (to determine at what point in training the simulator offers the most benefit for trainees).Validation of a Virtual Reality–Based Hip Arthroscopy Simulator
Bauer D, Wieser K, Aichmair A, Zingg P, Dora C, Rahm S
To assess construct and face validity of a novel virtual reality–based hip arthroscopy simulator using the previously validated Arthroscopic Surgery Skills Evaluation Tool (ASSET), metric parameters, and a questionnaire.Lessons Taught by a Knee Arthroscopy Simulator About Participants in a European Arthroscopy Training Programme
Baumann, Q., Hardy, A., Courage, O., Lacombes, P., Accadbled, F., European Paediatric Orthopaedic Society Sports Study Group, Junior French Arthroscopic Society.
Investigates the hypothesis that a theoretical and practical training course improves the scores achieved on an arthroscopy simulator task.Validation of the Hip Arthroscopy Module of the VirtaMed Virtual Reality Arthroscopy Trainer
Gallagher K, Bahadori S, Antonis J, Immins T, Wainwright TW, Middleton R.
To assess the face, content and construct validity of a virtual reality hip arthroscopy simulator (ArthroS™, VirtaMed AG, Schlieren, Switzerland)Virtual Reality Simulator Improves the Acquisition of Basic Arthroscopy Skills in First-year Orthopedic Surgery Residents
Walbron P, Common H, Thosazeau H, Hosseini K, Peduzzi L, Bulaid Y, Sirvequx F.
Arthroscopy training using a virtual reality (VR) simulator is said to improve the training of orthopedic surgery residents, although it has never been evaluated in a large representative population of first-year residents.Surgical Games: A Simulation-Based Structured Assessment of Orthopedic Surgery Resident Technical Skills
Blevins J, Felix K, Ling D, Sculco P, McCarthy M, Demetracopoulos C, Ranawat A, Fufa D.
We describe the development and implementation of a timed, multitask, station-based Surgical Games to evaluate orthopedic resident surgical skills. (ArthroS™, VirtaMed AG, Schlieren, Switzerland)Simulation-based Arthroscopic Skills Using a Spaced Retraining Schedule Reduces Short-term Task Completion Time and Camera Path Length
Li Wei, M.D. Zhang Kai-Jun Yao Shun Xie Xiaobo, M.D. Han Weiyu, Ph.D. Xiong Wei-Bin, M.D. Tian Jing, M.D.
The aim of this study was to investigate whether acquiring basic knee arthroscopic skills via a spaced retraining schedule could prevent skills deterioration and achieve further skills improvement.Cadaver versus Simulator Based Arthroscopic Training in Shoulder Surgery
Gazi Huri, Mert Ruşen Gülşen, Ece Belen Karmiş, Doğaç Karagüven
There are few studies that compare the cadaver dissections with the medical simulators in means of talent improvement. Therefore, the aim of this study is to find out if using cadaver dissections is still the golden standard for surgical training or using the medical simulators in surgery could replace cadaver dissectionsThe ASSET Global Rating Scale is a Valid and Reliable Adjunct Measure of Performance on a Virtual Reality Simulator for Hip Arthroscopy
Bishop M, Ode G, Hurwit D, Zmugg S, Rauck R, Nguyen J, Ranawat A.
The purpose of this study is to further evaluate the construct validity and interobserver reliability of a hip arthroscopy virtual simulator using the Arthroscopic Surgery Skill Evaluation Tool (ASSET) global rating scale.Active vs Passive Haptic Feedback Technology in Virtual Reality Arthroscopy Simulation: Which is Most Realistic?
Vaghela KR, Trockels A, Carobene M.
Virtual Reality (VR) simulators are playing an increasingly prominent role in orthopaedic training and education. Face-validity - the degree to which reality is accurately represented - underpins the value of a VR simulator as a learning tool for trainees. Despite the importance of tactile feedback in arthroscopy, there is a paucity for evidence regarding the role of haptics in VR arthroscopy simulator realism.The Diagnostic Arthroscopy Skill Score (DASS): a reliable and suitable assessment tool for arthroscopic skill training
Anetzberger H, Becker R, Eickhoff H, Seibert FJ, Döring B, Haasters F, Mohr M, Reppenhagen S.
The results of this study indicate good validity and reliability of DASS for the assessment of the surgical performance of diagnostic knee arthroscopy during simulator training. Standardized training is recommended before arthroscopy surgery is considered in patients.Module-Based Arthroscopic Knee Simulator Training Improves Technical Skills in Naive Learners: A Randomized Trial
Beaudoin A, Larrivée S, McRae S, Leiter J, Stranges G.
Module-based simulation training provides additional training time and improves technical skills in naive health science students. It is hoped that this effect can be preserved and applied to junior resident developing in a busy residency program.Validation of virtual reality arthroscopy simulator relevance in characterising experienced surgeons
Tronchot A, Berthelemy J, Thomazeau H, Huaulmé A, Walbron P, Sirveaux F, Jannin P.
Virtual reality (VR) simulation is particularly suitable for learning arthroscopy skills. Despite significant research, one drawback often outlined is the difficulty in distinguishing performance levels (Construct Validity) in experienced surgeons. Therefore, it seems adequate to search new methods of performance measurements using probe trajectories instead of commonly used metrics.