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Eddie Shu-yin Chan
Tadashi Matsuda
Editors
Endourology Progress
Technique, Technology and Training
123
Endourology Progress
Eddie Shu-yin Chan • Tadashi Matsuda
Editors
Endourology Progress
Technique, Technology and Training
Editors
Eddie Shu-yin Chan Tadashi Matsuda
Department of Surgery Department of Urology and Andrology
The Chinese University of Hong Kong Kansai Medical University
Hong Kong Hirakata, Osaka
Japan
This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore
Foreword 1
Urology has the most innovative advances among the surgical specialties. Recent technology
started with shockwave lithotripsy in 1979 followed by percutaneous lithotripsy in the 1980s.
Lithotripters were installed worldwide and have revolutionized the treatment of stones from
incisions to “no scars.” The last decade has seen an accelerated technological journey includ-
ing laparoscopic instruments, robotic equipment, and endoscopes with video cameras that can
be made so small as to get retrograde access to the kidney, which was only imaginable in the
movies of the 1970s.
With these advances it is a constant learning and upgrading process for urologists to keep
pace with new techniques. Among the many endoscopes and types of lasers we have to find out
which is the most effective, appropriate, and safe for our patients. We adopt some and discard
those that are not effective. It is almost impossible for a single urologist to go into all the new
equipment. We need to attend meetings, talk to the experienced, and then adopt which is the
best for our patients bounded by the availability of resources in our health care systems.
This book is unique because it is Asian and represents the diverse cultures and the progress
made in countries with health care systems of different priorities. Illustrations are clear and
readers get to pick up the procedures step-by-step such as in robotic surgery. Tips and tricks
are helpful. Further dedicated structured training is important to ensure we are able to handle
the new technology. Further experience should be obtained by assisting the masters at work.
Eddie Chan and Tadashi Matsuda, the editors of Endourology Progress: Technique,
Technology and Training, should be congratulated for this innovative book. This book is a
comprehensive introduction for residents and trained urologists to pick up some new knowl-
edge and techniques.
It is my wish that this book will enable all urologists to offer our patients the most effective
treatment in the era of modern endourological technology.
v
Foreword 2
It is a privilege to write a Foreword for this outstanding book entitled Endourology Progress:
Technique, Technology and Training which is focused on all aspects of minimally invasive
urology. The book is unique in its East Asian origins and with over 100 contributors, all of
whom are from East Asian countries.
The opening chapter by Drs. Matsuda and Naito, which archives the history and develop-
ment of endourology in East Asia, is a wonderful chronicle of the overall impact this urologic
community has had towards progress in the field. The mission of the East Asian Society of
Endourology is articulated “to study all questions related to endourology, to stimulate interna-
tional cooperation in the field of urology and to encourage the development, evaluation and
application of all aspects of minimally invasive therapy of urological disease across the East
Asia region.” There may be no better tangible example of the success in achieving this aspira-
tion than the superb text Endourology Progress: Technique, Technology and Training.
The book is both comprehensive in its scope and current in all aspects of endourology, lapa-
roscopy, robotics, and image-guided therapies in urology. Books can often lag in a field that is
progressing as rapidly as endourology, but this comprehensive text manages to be completely
up to date. This includes detailed descriptions of leading edge interventions in areas as diverse
as pediatrics, transplantation, BPH, and MRI-guided diagnostics. The tables, illustrations, and
figures in the book are excellent and the chapters are all very well referenced. As an academic
urologist with a subspecialty interest in endourology I fully expect to be referring to this book,
both for patient care questions and for purposes related to teaching students, residents, and
fellows. Practicing urologists, trainees, and investigators with an interest in urologic technol-
ogy and innovation will all find this to be a very practical and useful text.
I have had the privilege of visiting almost all of the countries classified as being in East Asia
and in the case of some countries have visited on numerous occasions. This has often included
the experience of operating side by side with the local urologic surgeons, many of whom have
become good friends. It is my impression that many of the innovations and technical advances
in endourology and minimally invasive approaches are emanating from the major centers in
East Asian countries. In addition, I have witnessed the great value placed on training in this
world region and the chapters in Endourology Progress focused on various aspects of training
are among the best I have come across.
The editors, Drs. Eddie Chan and Tadashi Matsuda, along with all of the contributing chap-
ter authors are to be congratulated for the production of this tremendous text. Endourology
Progress: Technique, Technology and Training is an excellent contribution to existing resources
in the rapidly changing field of endourology.
John Denstedt
Division of Urology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry,
Western University, London, ON, Canada
vii
Introduction
This book represents the work and development of endourology in Asia and the contribution
of East Asian Society of Endourology. The horizons of endourologic surgery are expanding.
Application of robot-assisted technique is one of the many examples of how new technologies
change the surgical practice. Urologists from Asian countries encountered a lot of challenges
due to high patient load, different diseases preference, limited access to new technologies,
diversity in languages, and surgical practice. Innovative techniques have been developed in
order to adapt the unique working environment. This book is intended to familiarize the mod-
ern urologists with the common endourology, laparoscopic and robotic urologic procedures,
and the development of technology, techniques, and training in Asian countries.
On behalf of the East Asian Society of Endourology, recognized Asian experts in the field
of endourology have contributed to share their experiences and opinions. It consisted of latest
update and advancement of surgical techniques and technology in minimally invasive surgery.
The development of endoscopic, laparoscopic, and robotic urological operations is reviewed.
A whole session dedicated to training in endourology is included. Detailed descriptions of
perioperative preparation, step-by-step surgical procedures, and tips/tricks will be emphasized
in the corresponding chapters, supplemented by photographs and illustrations. The textbook
will be divided into three specific sessions. The first session covers the important areas of
endourology training and the development of endourology in different Asian countries. In the
second session, techniques on various urologic surgeries are discussed. The third session is
dedicated to the advances of new technologies in endourology. This book is most suitable for
urology residents and young fellows who are keen to start their endourological training. It also
provides up-to-date information on current topics of endourology for practicing urologists and
experienced endourologists in Asian and other countries.
This book is contributed by more than 100 leading experts and their young fellows from
China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
ix
Contents
xi
xii Contents
Table 1.1 Annual Congress of East Asian Society of Endourology the member territories and cultivating and cementing
Year City Country/region President friendship among endourologists in the region. The activi-
1st 2004 Okayama Japan Eiji Higashihara ties of EASE have become well-known throughout the
2nd 2005 Jeju Island Korea Tae Kon Hwang global endourology community. At the 2016 BOD meeting
3rd 2006 Taipei Taiwan Jun Chen in Osaka, the BOD members agreed that EASE would con-
4th 2007 Hong Kong Hong Kong Shu-Keung Li
tinue holding annual congresses in the 2020s and pursue
5th 2008 Shanghai China Liqun Zhou
new and diverse activities such as the publishing of this
6th 2009 Manila Philippine Joel P. Aldana
7th 2010 Seoul Korea Hyeon Hoe Kim
textbook.
8th 2011 Kyoto Japan Seiji Naito
9th 2012 Taipei Taiwan Allen Chiu
10th 2013 Hefei China Yinghao Sun 1.2 evelopment of Endourology in East
D
11th 2014 Hong Kong Hong Kong Berry Fung Asia
12th 2015 Manila Philippine Joel P. Aldana
13th 2016 Osaka Japan Toshiro Terachi 1.2.1 ndourological Societies of East Asian
E
14th 2017 Hong Kong Hong Kong Eddie Chan Countries
Table 1.2 Global-scale Congress of Endourology held in EASE coun- Endourologists in East Asian countries meet at their respec-
tries/region tive national endourological society or endourological
Year Name of congress Country President branch or subgroup of their respective national urological
1989 Seventh World Congress Kyoto, Osamu Yoshida association. The year of establishment and the number of
of Endourology and Japan
members of each national endourological society are shown
SWL
1991 Third World Congress Hakone, Hiroshi Tazaki in Table 1.3. These societies and subgroups have played a
on Videourology Japan major role in the development and dissemination of mini-
1995 Seventh World Congress Taipei, Luke S. Chang mally invasive endourological procedures in each country
on Videourology Taiwan together with their respective national urological
2003 15th World Congress on Busan, Hwang Choi, Jin associations.
Videourology Korea Han Yoon,
Gyung Tak Sung
2008 26th World Congress of Shanghai, Yinghao Sun
Endourology and SWL China 1.2.2 dvancement of Endourology in
A
2011 29th World Congress of Kyoto, Tadashi Matsuda East Asia
Endourology and SWL Japan
2012 23rd World Congress on Hong Sidney KH Yip Due to the development of endourological instruments
Videourology Kong
2014 32th World Congress of Taipei, Allen Chiu
such as the Stern-McCarthy resectoscope in 1931, electro-
Endourology and SWL Taiwan hydraulic lithotripter in 1950, endoscopes equipped with
rod lens and fiber-optic light cable system around 1960,
EASE published the proceedings of the annual congress as its and ultrasonic lithotripter in 1973, a variety of endouro-
official journal named Recent Advances of Endourology from logical procedures including TURP, TUL and PCNL have
2005 to 2012. As the progression from Recent Advances of
Endourology, EASE has published this textbook of endourology,
Endourology Progress—Technique, Technology and Training. Table 1.3 Endourological societies of EASE territories
Since the establishment of EASE, the World Congress of Name of the Establishment No. of
Endourology and the World Congress of Videourology has Country society/group year members
been held in EASE territories as shown in Table 1.2 thanks to China The Endourological 1993
Branch of Chinese
the support of the other EASE members. EASE has had close Urological association
communication with the Urological Association of Asia and Hong Hong Kong 2006 252
the Asian Society of Endourology, and some EASE con- Kong Endourological Society
gresses have been held in conjunction with these bodies. Japan Japanese Society of 1987 3969
Endourology
Korea Korean Endourological 1992 750
Society
1.1.3 Future of EASE Philippine Philippine 2009 41
Endourological Society
Since its establishment in 2004, EASE has played impor- Taiwan Taiwan Urological 1978a 938a
tant roles in promoting advances in minimally invasive Association
urology in East Asia, educating young endourologists of Data on the Urological Association, not the Endourological Group
a
1 Introduction of East Asian Society of Endourology and Development of Endourology in East Asia 5
6000
4000 Acknowledgements Drs. Yinghao Sun, Eddie Chan, Hon Ming Wong,
Koon Ho Rha, Young Eun Yoon, Joel Aldana, Takahiro Yasui, Saint
2000 Shiou-Sheng Chen, produced the data on endourology of East Asian
territories.
0
19 0
19 1
19 2
19 3
19 4
19 5
19 6
19 7
19 8
20 9
20 0
20 1
20 2
20 3
20 4
20 5
20 6
20 7
20 8
20 9
20 0
20 1
20 2
20 3
20 4
15
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
19
Fig. 1.3 The number of urologic laparoscopic surgeries in Japan since References
1990
Chaussy C, Schmiedt E, Jocham D, et al. First clinical experience with
extracorporeally induced destruction of kidney stones by shock
waves. J Urol. 1982;127:417–20.
Go H, Takeda M, Takahashi H, et al. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy for
1992 by Japanese doctors (Go et al. 1993). The year of intro- primary aldosteronism: a new operative method. J Laparoendosc
duction of laparoscopic nephrectomy and prostatectomy is Surg. 1993;3:455–9.
Higashihara E. Japanese contribution to endourology. Jpn J Endourol.
shown in Table 1.4. Since then, a variety of urologic laparo- 2012;25:183–201.
scopic surgeries have been introduced in these countries and Hiraoka Y, Akimoto M. Transurethral enucleation of benign prostatic
the number of surgeries in Japan is still increasing as shown hyperplasia. J Urol. 1989;142:1247–50.
in Fig. 1.3, according to the nation-wide survey of urologic Matsuda T, Horii Y, Higashi S, et al. Laparoscopic varicocelectomy: a
simple technique for clip ligation of the spermatic vessels. J Urol.
laparoscopic surgeries (The Japanese Society of Endoscopic 1992;147:636–8.
Surgery 2016). Miki M, Aizawa. The history of endourology. Jpn J Endourol ESWL.
2009;22:127–9.
Pérez-Castro Ellendt E, Martínez-Piñeiro JA. Ureteral and renal endos-
copy. A new-approach. Eur Urol. 1982;8:117–20.
1.2.4 I ntroduction of Robotic Assisted Takayasu H, Aso Y, Takagi T, et al. Clinical application of fiber-optic
Surgery in East Asia pyeloureteroscope. Urol Int. 1971;26:97–104.
Terai A, Yoshida O. Epidemiology of urolithiasis in Japan. In: Akimoto
M, Higashihara E, Orikasa S, et al., editors. Recent advances in
The surgical robot, da Vinci was first introduced to East Asia endourology, vol. 3. Tokyo: Springer; 2001. p. 23–36.
in 2003 in Japan and has since been used in East Asian coun- The Japanese Society of Endoscopic Surgery. Results of 13th nation-
tries as shown in Table 1.5. Now in 2016, the number of da wide survey of endoscopic surgery in Japan. J Jpn Soc Endosc Surg.
2016;21:772–96.
Vinci S, Si or Xi across the EASE region together with the Yasui T, Iguchi M, Suzuki S, et al. Prevalence and epidemiological
number of urological robotic operations in 2016 are shown characteristics of urolithiasis in Japan: national trends between
in Table 1.5. 1965 and 2005. Urology. 2008;71:209–12.
Training of Endourology in Asia
2
Kai Zhang, Tao Han, and Gang Zhu
et al. 1992; Barret et al. 2001; Yang et al. 2010; Gettman attempts. For all the three trainees, the operation time showed
et al. 2002) (Fig. 2.3). The morphometric and anatomic of remarkable reduction and the quality of anastomosis improved
porcine kidney are greatly similar to human kidney (Sampaio significantly from the first to the fourth attempt, suggesting a
et al. 1998) (Fig. 2.4). favorable trend in terms of learning curve.
Early in 1993, laparoscopic nephrectomy was performed
in 15 male live pigs in Taiwan by Chiu et al. (1992). The
average operation time was 200 min. The complications
included renal vein tear in one case, mild subcutaneous
emphysema in two cases.
In India, the crop and esophagus of a chicken were used to
simulate the renal pelvis and ureter for laparoscopic pyeloplasty
training (Ramachandran et al. 2008). This model was cheap,
easily available and could provide a realistic feel to the tissue
and anatomy of human. To assess the effectiveness of this
model, three residents was chosen to complete laparoscopic
pyeloplasty for four times in a period of 1 month. The operation
time and quality of anastomosis were compared among the four
Fig. 2.1 Instruments and porcine heart model Fig. 2.4 Live porcine kidney
In Korea, the dVSS system was used to train 50 medical 2.3 Evaluation of Training Effect
school students to perform 12 exercises with the aim to
determine whether a robotic VR training enabled inexperi- The main objective of endourology training is to shorten the
enced trainees to complete a hands-on operation (Song and time needed for clinical training and provide the residents or
Ko 2016). The program was conducted in two parts. Firstly, urologists with the possibility to gain experience and improve
43 students received VR training for basic skills and skills outside the operating room. However, the role of training
advanced suture. Then a real robotic surgical system was in certification and credentialing of real surgery is still under
applied to perform urethrovesical anastomosis on a hands- investigation. There is limited data regarding whether training
on model which was created using the proximal end of rec- could affect actual performance in a hands-on setting.
tal tubes. In analysis, the console time of hands-on training In Japan, Fujimura et al. developed a mentoring system to
was significantly associated with the total time and attempt balance training new surgeons while controlling medical
of VR training, suggesting robotic VR training system quality (Fujimura et al. 2016). Novice surgeons with experi-
could help beginners to acquire and improve robotic sur- ence of radical retropubic prostatectomy and laparoscopic
gery skills. renal and adrenal surgery participated in the study (only one
In India, Mishra et al. compared the validation between a surgeon had experience of laparoscopic radical prostatec-
live porcine model and a VR simulation model for percuta- tomy). They first underwent intensive dry and animal train-
neous renal access training (Mishra et al. 2010). In this study, ing and then observed 47 cases of robot-assisted radical
a live anesthetized pig with a pre-placed ureteric catheter and prostatectomy performed by an experienced surgeon (Menon
a high-fidelity simulator (PERC Mentor, Simbionix; Lod, M, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan, USA). Moreover,
Israel) were used. A total of 24 urologists with experience of in the first five cases of real operation, the new surgeons were
more than 50 cases of PCNL firstly performed percutaneous supervised by a proctor who had enormous experience in
renal access with a real-time C-arm in the porcine model, laparoscopic and robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.
then operated the same procedure on the simulator. In com- In the step-by-step procedures, time limits and blood loss
parison, there was no statistical significant difference in was measured and ten checkpoints were set up during every
overall usefulness. The simulator model came with a high operation in the mentoring program. The cut-off point was
price but was safer and easier to set up than live porcine set at 70% of the time and blood loss limit. Once the time or
model. However, the live porcine model was more realistic blood loss limit was exceeded, a mentor would take over the
than the high-fidelity simulator model. operation or another new surgeon would replace the surgeon
Cai et al. reported the value of VR simulator in the skill and finished the step. In this setting, the surgical quality and
acquisition of flexible ureteroscopy (Cai et al. 2013). URO patient’s safety could be controlled to the maximum extent.
Mentor (Simbionix) VR model was used in this study. Thirty In this study, a total of 242 patients underwent robot-
urologists took part in the study and received 1-h basic train- assisted radical prostatectomy, with the median operative
ing for the instruments and the whole procedures, then fol- time 237 min and median perioperative blood loss 300 ml.
lowed by an assessment with task of seven programs. After 88% of new surgeons could finish the whole procedure after
another 4-h practice on the simulator, the participants an average of 10.7 cases. There was no perioperative mortal-
performed the same task. It showed that most parameters ity and no conversion to open prostatectomy. Seven patients
including total procedure time, progressing time from the (2.8%) suffered from postoperative hemorrhage and one
orifice to stone, time of stone translocation, fragmentation patient underwent emergent hemostatic surgery because of
time, laser operate proficiency scale, total laser energy, maxi- active bleeding of left epigastric artery. It is interesting to
mal size of residual stone fragments, number of trauma from note that there was no statistically difference between the
the scopes and tools and damage to the scope improved results of a mentor and those of new surgeons with a mentor
remarkably on the second assessment. This study illustrated in terms of median operative time, console time, blood loss,
that VR simulator could aid the trainees to enhance their incidence of blood transfusion and duration of catheteriza-
flexible ureteroscopy skills in a short time. tion. One must admit that the majority of studies on endou-
Generally, the high-fidelity VR simulators usually seem a rology training merely compare the results between the
very high price. However, the running cost is very low once baseline and post-training period on models or simulators.
the models are installed. It can be easily set up, only a space However, the ultimate goal of training is to improve the
and an electricity supply needed. Of the available VR simu- doctor’s performance on real patients. This Japanese study
lators, some have held high level of evidence and recommen- provides us some enlightenment on how to investigate the
dation, such as the UroSim and TURPsim for TUR surgery, effect of training in real clinic environment on the premise of
the URO Mentor and PERC Mentor for urolithiasis, and the ensuring medical quality and safety. Regrettably, there are
dv-Trainer for robotic surgery (Aydin et al. 2016b). too few data on this subject in Asia, even worldwide.
2 Training of Endourology in Asia 11
2.4 Training Organization in Asia Global Education Initiative Skills Courses in Endourolgy,
Laparoscopy and Robotics held in Chengdu, China, in March
There are a lot of endourology training courses supported by 2016.
local urology societies in Asian countries or Areas in the pur- In Korea, Yonsei University College of Medicine
pose of improving Asian urologist’s endoscopic skills and Department of Urology provided 1-year training program
techniques. under the guidance of a urological surgeon. During the fel-
Asian Urological Surgery Training & Education Group lowship, the fellow will be exposed to different techniques
(AUSTEG) was founded in Hong Kong, with the aim to and latest available instruments in endourologic, laparo-
enhance professional competencies to advance the standard scopic and robotic surgery.
of urological surgery in Asia through a comprehensive train- In India, ceMAST organizes courses like two-day Upper
ing platform for experience skill exchange, and hence, culti- Tract Endourology Course covering usage of semirigid ure-
vate next generations in Asia. The members are all urological teroscopes, flexible ureteroscopes, nephroscopes, etc.
experts with a high reputation from China, Japan, Korea,
Malaysia, Thailand and some other Asian countries and
regions. There are extensive curriculums including laparo-
scopic upper tract surgery, endourology and stone manage-
ment, lower tract surgery and urology nursing workshop
(Figs. 2.7 and 2.8).
East Asian Society of Endourology (EASE) regularly has
the pre-congress training program. Such as the EASE 2014
& The Sixth Hong Kong Congress of Endourology: The
Next Generation in Endourology: Training, Technique and
Technology.
Chinese Urology Association (CUA) has organized many
training courses and provided support to local training cen-
ters in China. Usually the training centers were organized by
each province and run by a local teaching hospital. There
were regular courses, which have contributed to the develop-
ment of Chinese Urology. There were also some collaborated
international courses, such as the Endourology Society Fig. 2.8 AUSTEG model training for ureteroscopy
Japanese Urological Association and Japanese Society of Chiu AW, et al. Laparoscopic nephrectomy in a porcine model. Eur
Urol. 1992;22(3):250–4.
Endourology have established a urologic laparoscopic skills da Cruz JA, et al. Does warm-up training in a virtual reality simulator
qualification system called the Endoscopic Surgical Skill improve surgical performance? A prospective randomized analysis.
Qualification (ESSQ) System in 2004 to assess the tech- J Surg Educ. 2016;73(6):974–8.
niques and skills of applicants in performing lap nephrec- Fujimura T, et al. Validation of an educational program balancing sur-
geon training and surgical quality control during robot-assisted radi-
tomy or adrenalectomy. cal prostatectomy. Int J Urol. 2016;23(2):160–6.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Jockey Ganpule A, Chhabra JS, Desai M. Chicken and porcine models for train-
Club Minimally Invasive Surgery Skills Centre (MISSC) ing in laparoscopy and robotics. Curr Opin Urol. 2015;25(2):158–62.
has collaborations with the International Training Centre of Gettman MT, et al. Transvaginal laparoscopic nephrectomy:
development and feasibility in the porcine model. Urology.
Intuitive Surgical®. Intuitive Surgical® issues certifications 2002;59(3):446–50.
for all courses in robotic assisted laparoscopic surgery con- Gomes MP, et al. A computer-assisted training/monitoring system
ducted at the MISSC. CUHK MISSC runs courses covering for TURP structure and design. IEEE Trans Inf Technol Biomed.
the important clinical aspects of robotics as used in a wide 1999;3(4):242–51.
Hamacher A, et al. Application of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality
variety of specialties, including urology. A similar to urology. Int Neurourol J. 2016;20(3):172–81.
International Training Centre of Intuitive Surgical® has just Mishra S, et al. Percutaneous renal access training: content validation
recently been established in Shanghai Changhai Hospital. comparison between a live porcine and a virtual reality (VR) simu-
It is worth mentioning that, even with different organiz- lation model. BJU Int. 2010;106(11):1753–6.
Mishra S, et al. Training in percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Curr Opin
ers, all the courses combining academic lecture, model- Urol. 2013;23(2):147–51.
based training and practice, case discussion, providing Moglia A, et al. A systematic review of virtual reality simulators for
remarkable promotion not only on surgical skill, but also on robot-assisted surgery. Eur Urol. 2016;69(6):1065–80.
professionalism of our future medical care providers to bet- Noureldin YA, et al. Is there a place for virtual reality simulators in
assessment of competency in percutaneous renal access? World J
ter serve our patients. Urol. 2016;34(5):733–9.
Phe V, et al. Outcomes of a virtual-reality simulator-training programme
Remark Permission is obtained to show the human images on basic surgical skills in robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery. Int J
in this article according to local regulation. Med Robot. 2017;13(2) https://doi.org/10.1002/rcs.1740.
Ramachandran A, et al. A novel training model for laparoscopic pyelo-
plasty using chicken crop. J Endourol. 2008;22(4):725–8.
Sampaio FJ, Pereira-Sampaio MA, Favorito LA. The pig kidney
as an endourologic model: anatomic contribution. J Endourol.
1998;12(1):45–50.
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Thiel-embalmed cadavers. Urology. 2016;93:27–32. Healthc. 2014;9(5):288–94.
Cai JL, et al. Proficiency of virtual reality simulator training in flex- Yang B, et al. A novel training model for retroperitoneal laparoscopic
ible retrograde ureteroscopy renal stone management. Chin Med J. dismembered pyeloplasty. J Endourol. 2010;24(8):1345–9.
2013;126(20):3940–3. Zhang Y, et al. Novel biologic model for percutaneous renal surgery
Celia A, Zeccolini G. Ex vivo models for training in endourology: learning and training in the laboratory. Urology. 2008;72(3):513–6.
construction of the model and simulation of training procedures. Zhang K, Zhu G, Wan B, Wang JY. Application of porcine heart as
Urologia. 2011;78(Suppl 18):16–20. animal tissue model for 2 micron continuous wave laser endoscopic
Chandrasekera SK, et al. Basic laparoscopic surgical training: exami- technique training. Chin J Urol. 2009;30(9):627–9.
nation of a low-cost alternative. Eur Urol. 2006;50(6):1285–90. Zhu H, et al. Virtual reality simulator for training urologists on transure-
1290–1 thral prostatectomy. Chin Med J. 2013;126(7):1220–3.
Laparoscopic Training Using Cadavers
3
Thomas Y. Hsueh
training program for laparoscopic procedures and the valid- ing the hypothesized relations. Construct validity is very
ity of training models, so as to provide a panoramic view of important in social science, psychology and language studies
current status of laparoscopic education. and are one of the important measurements for a training
curriculum of laparoscopy nowadays.
sharing scenario in the course. Finally, the satisfaction sur- Hung et al. reported another model using porcine kidney and
vey of the training course is essential for course coordina- styroform ball to mimic renal tumor requiring laparoscopic/
tors. It can provide not only the evaluation of the training robotic partial nephrectomy while face, content and construct
course, but also provide suggestions for course refinement. B validity could be demonstrated in this study. In 2013, De
To sum up, there is no perfect training curriculum, but a Win et al. reported the animal model of porcine kidney, which
training curriculum can be refined to become perfect. found to have content and construct A validity. With the
advancement in augmented reality, the computerized model
was designed. In 2015, Hung et al. reported the application of
3.4 Training Models dV-Trainer in robotic partial nephrectomy training and face,
content and construct B validity was found in this training
There were several training models focused on laparoscopic model. All four reported studies gained a level of evidence 2b.
surgical procedures. With the advancement of computer sci-
ence and virtual reality, the application of computerized model 3.4.2.2 Pyeloplasty
has gained widespread acceptance in recent years. Besides, There were two studies evaluating the application of pyelo-
there were several validated models used for radical/partial plasty model. In 2013, Jiang et al. reported the use of chicken
nephrectomy, pyeloplasty, ureteral reimplantation, and ure- crop model to simulate clinical scenario of laparoscopic
throvesical anastomosis using analogue materials. The animal pyeloplasty which demonstrated construct B validity between
model was still the most common selection to simulate clinical experts, specialists and junior residents. In 2014, Poniatowski
scenario although fresh frozen cadaveric model might provide et al. reported the pyeloplasty simulator model by using a
better experience in endoscopic dissection. The simulated low-cost, high-fidelity tissue analogue. It was reported to
training models will be discussed in the following section. have face, content and construct B validity (Poniatowski et al.
2014). Those two studies gained a level of evidence 2b.
was sporadically reported. The interactive training program solution to maintain clinical competency and to learn new
can be divided to upper urinary tract and lower urinary tract. endoscopic procedures in a safe environment. In the near
The trainees will be divided into several groups and about future, laparoscopic simulation using computerized virtual
2–3 trainees per group is the usual setting. Each group will reality model, animal model and cadaveric model might
be assigned to perform 2–3 procedures in about 4 h. Partial/ serve as the step-by-step learning protocol to deliver a new
radical nephrectomy, pyeloplasty and ureteroureterostomy surgical technique from the experimental test into a practical
are the usual procedures for upper urinary tract while ure- procedure.
teroneocystostomy, enterocystoplasty and radical cystec-
tomy are usually conducted for lower urinary tract.
References
Lawshe CH. A quantitative approach to content validity. Pers Psychol. a prospective, single-blind, randomized, controlled study. J Urol.
1975;28:563–75. 2012;187:1861–6.
Lee JY, Mucksavage P, McDougall EM. Simulating laparoscopic renal SAGES. Guidelines for granting of privileges for laparoscopic and/or
hilar vessel injuries: preliminary evaluation of a novel surgical train- thoracoscopic general surgery. Society of American Gastrointestinal
ing model for residents. J Endourol. 2012a;26:393–7. Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). Surg Endosc. 1998;12:379–80.
Lee JY, Mucksavage P, Canales C, et al. High fidelity simulation based Satava RM. Surgical education and surgical simulation. World J Surg.
team training in urology: a preliminary interdisciplinary study on 2001;25:1484–9.
technical and nontechnical skills in laparoscopic complications Sharma M, Horgan A. Comparison of fresh-frozen cadaver and high-
management. J Urol. 2012b;187:1385–91. fidelity virtual reality simulators as methods of laparoscopic train-
Matsuda T, McDougall EM, Ono Y, et al. Positive correlation between ing. World J Surg. 2012;36:1732–7.
motion analysis data on the LapMentor virtual reality surgical simu- Traxer O, Gettman MT, Napper CA, et al. The impact of intensive lap-
lator and the results from videotape assessment of real laparoscopic aroscopic skills training on the operative performance of urology
surgeries. J Endourol. 2012;26:1506–11. residents. J Urol. 2001;166:1658–61.
Poniatowski LH, Wolf JS Jr, Nakada SY, et al. Validity and acceptabil- Tunitsky E, Murphy A, Barber MD, et al. Development and validation
ity of a high-fidelity physical simulation model for training of lapa- of a ureteral anastomosis simulation model for surgical training.
roscopic pyeloplasty. J Endourol. 2014;28:393–8. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg. 2013;19:346–51.
Sabbagh R, Chatterjee S, Chawla A, et al. Transfer of laparoscopic Vaziri M. Laparoscopic surgical education. J Minim Invasive Surg Sci.
radical prostatectomy skills from bench model to animal model: 2013;2:1–2.
Simulation Training of Laparoscopy
4
Kazuhide Makiyama
skills. Low-cost alternatives are needed to allow trainees to neys, stomach, lungs, liver, colon, and blood vessels, etc. By
practice and develop their laparoscopic skills outside of the using such three-dimensional organ models in a box trainer,
workplace (Li and George 2017). A portable bookbinder- trainees can participate in more realistic training involving
sized box trainer that is used in combination with a smartphone real surgical tools. Figure 4.3 shows examples of three-
has been developed (http://www.g-mark.org/award/ dimensional kidney models that are used for partial nephrec-
describe/42712), and a box trainer that incorporates an iPad has tomy training. They can be cut and sutured freely. These
been reported to be effective (Ruparel et al. 2014). As described three-dimensional organ models can be used to reduce and
above, trainees can create homemade box trainers by them- replace animal training. In addition, they might bridge the
selves, which can be beneficial in terms of cost and space. gap between real surgery and VR simulators.
Another important issue for box trainers is image quality. Another recently developed technology is the suture eval-
Recently, in response to surgeons’ requests, it has become uation system (https://www.kyotokagaku.com/products/
possible to obtain high-quality laparoscopic images. However, detail01/m57.html). This system includes a personal com-
many box trainers still only produce low-quality images. puter, a camera, a suturing unit, and a suture pad with pres-
Thus, it will be necessary to improve the image quality of box sure sensors. It can evaluate a surgeon’s skill, the procedure
trainers in order to facilitate high-quality training. Achurra time, the force placed on a particular tissue, suture tension,
et al. (2017) reported that box trainer image quality is an stitch spacing, and stich equidistance (Ieiri et al. 2013).
important issue. Although this product seems to be a bit expensive, an increase
You can place any material in a box trainer and freely in demand might reduce the price, and it has the advantage of
practice whatever skills you want. Traditionally, chicken allowing objective assessments to be carried out.
meat and mandarin oranges are used for dissection training.
Bimanual coordination skill can be obtained by trimming
chicken skin from poultry or finding and dissecting nerves or
blood vessels from poultry. In addition, trainees peel skin
from mandarin oranges using laparoscopic forceps. During
such skin-peeling training, rough dissection will cause the ADA DVC
orange to rupture, leading to the release of juice. Therefore, Bladder
trainees try to carefully dissect such oranges so that they do Urethra
not release the juice. Sponge and rubber goods of moderate
size and hardness can be used for suturing training. Thus,
appropriate training can be conducted using everyday items. PDA RUM
It is important to have an aim during training. Training for
Denonvillier
certain procedures or situations can also be conducted using
ordinary goods. For example, Fig. 4.2 shows a vesicourethral
anastomosis model composed of sponge, chicken, and rub-
ber tubing. The sponge mimics the pelvic floor, anterior rec-
tal wall, and deep dorsal complex; the chicken represents the
bladder; and the rubber tube mimics the urethra. Fig. 4.2 A vesicourethral anastomosis model. In this model, chicken
meat, sponge, and rubber tubing are used to mimic the bladder,
Recently, with the rise of three-dimensional printers and Denonvilliers’ fascia, deep dorsal vein complex (DVC), anterior detru-
advances in material engineering, three-dimensional training sor apron (ADA), posterior detrusor apron (PDA), rectourethral muscle
models have been developed, including models of the kid- (RUM), and urethra
"Away with you! Begone! You are not a slave to me any more. Untie his
hands and let him go, no one is to interfere with him. I have pardoned him."
"Perhaps I was wrong," said Dio to Pentaur, as she walked with him
across the garden to Tuta's boat in the canal. "Perhaps you Egyptians can
rebel after all...."
"Yes, we have."
"Well, then, there is sure to be rebellion. How strange it is, Taur: you
and I have just been disputing whether the Son had come already or is to
come, and here is the same thing over again..."
Dio did not answer, she seemed lost in thought. Pentaur paused, too, and
then said:
IV
Hearing that Tuta had put off his meeting with her for a
few hours, Dio decided to pass these hours—perhaps the last—with
Pentaur: she had not made up her mind yet whether she was going away the
next day. She wanted, too, to say good-bye to Amon's Temple; she had
grown to love this house of God, the largest and most beautiful in the world,
because it was through it she had entered Egypt.
During King Akhnaton's reign the place fell into decay: the holy
enclosures had been destroyed, the treasuries robbed, the sanctuaries closed,
the priests driven away and the gods desecrated.
Having reached by boat the holy Road of the Rams, Dio and her nurse
Zenra, stepped into a litter and Pentaur walked by their side.
Turning to the right into a by-road to the sanctuary of Mut, they entered
it through the northern gates.
The sacred lake of the god Khonsu, Osiris the Moon, shone, crescent-
shaped, with a silvery brilliance. The rosy granite of the obelisks, the black
basalt of the colossi, the yellow sandstone of the pylons, the green tops of
the palms, bathed in the molten gold of the afternoon sun, were mirrored in
the water with such clearness that one could see every feather in the
rainbow-coloured Falcons of the sun at the top of the pylons and every
hieroglyphic in the multi-coloured inscriptions on the yellow sandstone; it
was as though there were another world down there, the reverse of this one,
exactly like it and yet quite different.
By the shores of the lake some sandpits had been dug, probably in order
to defile the holy waters, and bricklayers were getting clay from them. The
lake in those places was shallow, its slimy bottom could be seen and the
stagnant water in the pools had a dull rainbow glitter on the surface. A huge
statue of the god Amon, of dark-red sandstone, had been thrown near by,
face downwards, and an ox, standing knee-deep in water, was scratching its
mud-coated side against the sharp end of one of the two feathers in the
god's tiara; the smell of the pig-sty came from the animal.
At the beginning of the world the divine Frog, the midwife, crawled out
of the primaeval slime and at once began to help all women labouring of
child; she helped the birth of Khonsu-Osiris, the son of God; she helped
every dead man to rise again and be born into eternal life. Tuart, the
Hippopotamus, was as efficient a help in labour.
The copper doors of the sanctuary were locked and sealed, but in the
entry the two goddesses were hidden from the king's spies in two vaulted
niches in the wall, behind torn curtains. The huge frog made of green jade
with kind and intelligent round eyes of yellow glass, was sitting on its
cubical throne. The pig-faced Hippopotamus, in a woman's wig, was
ferociously showing its teeth; made of grey obsidian, with hanging breasts
and monstrous belly, it was standing on its hind legs, holding in its
forepaws the sign of eternal life—the looped cross Ankh.
They went into the portico. An old priestess, who looked rather like her
goddess, the Frog, was bathing in a copper basin of warm water two sacred
ichneumons, water animals something between a cat and a rat, beloved by
the god of the floods, Khnum-Ra. After the bath the creatures ran away,
playing; the male chased the female.
There was a splash at the other end of the lake and, thrusting out its
shining, slimy black head, a huge crocodile, some nine feet long, sacred to
Sobek, the god of the Midnight Sun, rapidly swam across in answer to the
call. Brass rings with bells glittered on its front paws, there were rings in its
ears and a piece of red glass was stuck into the thick skin of the head in the
place of the ruby that had been stripped from it. The crocodile was so tame
that it allowed its attendant to clean its teeth with acacia charcoal.
It crawled out of the water and stretched itself at the feet of the
priestess. Squatting before it she fed it with the meat and the honey cakes
brought by Zenra, fearlessly thrusting her left hand into the open jaws of the
beast; her right hand had been bitten off by the crocodile while she was still
a child.
"I wish it had eaten me altogether," the old lady used to say, "I then
wouldn't have to see what is going on now."
With motherly tenderness the old priestess stroked the monster on its
scaly back, calling it 'Sobby,' 'little one,' 'ducky.' And it was strange to see
the beast's pig-like eyes gleam with responsive affection.
"Well, how did you like our crocodile mother?" Pentaur asked Dio with
a smile when they came out of the portico, leaving Zenra behind and telling
the litter to go on.
"No. Your Mut and our Ma is the same Heavenly Mother who blesses
all the creatures of the earth."
"How then could you...." he began and broke off. But she understood
'how then could you have killed the god Beast?'
From the sanctuary of Mut they walked towards the Temple of Amon,
along the sacred road of the Rams, huge creatures of black granite placed in
a row on either side of the pathway. On the top of the head between the
horns that curled downwards, each ram had the sun disc of Amon Ra, and
between the doubled up front legs a tiny mummy of King Amenhotep,
Akhnaton's father: the god-beast was embracing the dead king, carrying
him, as it were, into eternal life.
It seemed to Dio they all looked at her as though they would say
"Decide!"
They came up to the pylon—the huge gates shaped like a pyramid cut
off at the top, with a rainbow-coloured sun disc with rays and high posts for
flags; it stood at some distance from the Temple. On either side of it were
two granite giants, exactly alike, representing King Tutmose the Third,
Akhnaton's great-great-grandfather, the first world-conqueror. Wearing
gods' tiaras, they were sitting on their thrones with their arms folded in
everlasting rest, with an everlasting smile on the flat lips. Above them the
wretched tatters of old flags fluttered on the broken posts. The birds nesting
in the tiaras chirruped loudly, as though laughing, and the black faces of the
giants were streaked with white.
"Rejoice, my son, who hast honoured me. I give thee the earth in length
and breadth. With a joyful heart pass through it as a conqueror."
"I have made Egypt the head of all nations, for together with me it has
honoured thee, god Amon on high."
From the way Pentaur read the inscription Dio understood that he was
comparing the great ancestor with the insignificant descendant.
Passing through the gate, and leaving the road ta the Khonsu sanctuary
on their left, they came out into the square. Men of all classes—beggars,
slaves and grand gentlemen—were standing there in separate groups
without speaking, as though waiting for something, and when the town
guards on duty went past looked at them sullenly from a distance. All was
quiet, but Dio suddenly remembered: "Rebellion!"
"He is a Jew on his father's side, but an Egyptian on his mother's. Their
prophet, Moses, was also a priest in Heliopolis."
They came to the western gates of Amon's temple; the leaf gold that
covered them glowed like fire in the light of the setting sun. Three words
had been inscribed on them in hieroglyphics of dark bronze: "Amon, great
spirit." The word Amon was effaced, but that made the other two words
glorify the Unutterable the more.
Guards were standing by the closed and sealed gates. People going past
knelt down and kissed the dust of the holy flagstones, praying in a whisper;
they would be thrown into prison for calling on the name of Amon aloud.
Dio showed the chief of the guards the ring with Tutankhaton's seal and
he let her and Pentaur through the side door of the gates.
They entered the inner court that had rows of such gigantic columns,
shaped like sheaves of papyrus, that it was hard to believe they were the
work of human hands: it seemed as though the Great Spirit had piled up
these everlasting stones as a mute praise to himself, the Unutterable.
From the yard they came into a covered antechamber, where the
daylight came sparsely from narrow windows right under the ceiling. There
was sunshine in the yard, but here it was half dark already and the thick
forest of columns, saturated with the fragrance of incense like a real forest
smelling of resin, seemed all the more huge in the twilight. And it was quiet
as in a forest; only up at the top one could hear a faint tapping that sounded
like woodpeckers. "Knock-Knock-Knock!"—and there was stillness, and
then again: "Knock-knock-knock!"
Dio raised her eyes and saw masons hung up in hammocks on long
strings, like spiders on cobwebs, hammering on the walls and the pillars up
above.
As they went further into the temple the walls narrowed down, the
ceilings grew lower, darker and more menacing, and at last an almost
complete darkness enveloped them; only somewhere in the far distance a
lamp was burning dimly. That was the Holy of Holies—Sehem, the
tabernacle, cut out in a block of red granite, where in the old days a golden
statuette of god Amon, a foot high, had been kept behind linen draperies—
the sails of the holy boat. Now Sehem was empty.
"No," Pentaur answered, understanding again that 'he' meant the king.
"He knows that God is light, but he does not know that darkness and light
go together...."
He knelt down and Dio knelt beside him; he began to pray and she
repeated after him:
"Glory to thee, who dwellest in darkness,
Amon, the Hidden,
Lord of the silent,
Help of the humble,
Saviour of those in hell!
When they cry aloud to thee,
Thou comest to them from afar,
Thou sayest to them 'I am here!'"
They bowed down to the ground and Dio felt that the hair on her head
moved with awe: 'He is here!'
They left the temple through the eastern gates where the litter was
waiting for them. They got into it and were carried to the small temple
Gem-Aton—Sun's Radiance—which had only just been built by King
Akhnaton.
It had taken a thousand years to build Amon's temple of huge blocks of
rock, and this one had been built quickly of small stones; Amon's temple
was dark and mysterious, and this one was all open and sunny. There were
no divine images in it except Aton's disc, with rays like hands descending
from it.
They entered one of the porticos, on the wall of which there was a bas-
relief of King Akhnaton making a sacrifice to the Sun god.
Dio looked at it dumb foundered. Who was it? What was it? A human
being? No, it was some unearthly creature in human form. Neither a man
nor a woman, neither an old man nor a child; a eunuch, a decrepit still-born
baby. The arms and legs were so thin that they seemed to be nothing but
bone; narrow childish shoulders and wide, well-covered hips; a big belly; a
huge head shaped like a vegetable-marrow, bent down under its own weight
on a long thin neck, flexible like the stem of a flower; a receding forehead,
a drooping chin, a fixed stare and the smile of a madman.
In the Charuk Palace near Thebes, where Akhnaton was born and spent
his childhood, she had seen his sculptured head: a boy looking like a girl; an
oval, egg-shaped face, childishly, girlishly charming, quiet and gentle as
that of the god whose name is Quiet-Heart.
"How did they dare insult him like this!" Dio cried out.
"No one would have dared if he had not asked for it himself. It is he
who teaches painters not to lie, not to flatter. 'Living in Truth'—Ankh-em-
Maat—so he calls himself, and this is what truth is; he did not want to be a
man, so this is what he has become!"
"No, that's not it, that's not it!" a voice said behind Dio.
She turned round and recognized Issachar, son of Hamuel. "No, that's
not it. The deception is worse and more subtle!" he said looking at the face
of the bas-relief.
"Why, this: listen to the prophecy. 'As many were astonied at Him: His
visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons
of men. And we hid our faces from Him. But He has borne our griefs and
carried our sorrows. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him: and with
His stripes we are healed.' Do you know of whom this has been said? ...
And who is this man? Accursed, accursed, accursed is the deceiver who
said 'I am the Son'!"
Slowly, as though with an effort, he averted his eyes from the bas-relief
and looking at Dio bent down to whisper in her ear:
"The high priest of Amon expects you to-day at the third hour after
sunset." And covering his head with his cloak he walked out of the temple.
For a few minutes Dio stood as though spellbound. She was so lost in
thought that she did not hear Pentaur call her twice and when he gently
touched her hand, she started.
She paused again and then cried with such agony that Pentaur thought
she was like one dying of thirst and asking for water:
"Oh, how salutary is your teaching, kind Uaenra, the only Son of the
Sun!"
Or compose such pious inscriptions for tombs: "Akhnaton, the Son of
the Sun, rose early in the morning to lighten me with his light for I was
zealous in carrying out his words," said one of those inscriptions. "I have
followed thee, O Lord Aton—Akhnaton!" said another.
The courtiers vied with one another in trying to revile the old god
Amon. But Tuta surpassed them all: he ordered for himself a pair of plaited
sandals made of golden straps, with Amon's face on the soles so as to tread
on the unholy one with every step he took. And everyone marvelled again
—they understood that he would go far in those sandals.
Tuta had been sent to Thebes with the title of Viceroy to carry out the
decrees about taking away burial grounds from the priests and desecrating
the god Khonsu, Amon's Son.
When Dio came to the Viceroy's white house the old servant, who knew
her, met her with low bows and wanted to tell His Highness at once about
her. But hearing that Tuta was having lunch with the chief of the Lybian
mercenaries, Menheperra, a man whom she disliked, she said she would
wait and going into an inner room, lay down on a low day-couch. Watching
the slanting pink oblongs cast by the setting sun on the white ceiling
through the long narrow slits of windows high up on the wall she sank into
deep thought, as in the antechamber of Gem-Aton's temple: was she to go
or not to go?
She grew tired of thinking and dozed. Two big flies were buzzing by her
very ear as though disputing "to go or not to go?"
She woke up suddenly and grasped that it was not the buzzing of flies
but a whisper, somewhere quite close to her ear. She looked round, but there
was no one there. The whisper came from the next room, which was
divided off by a latticed partition covered with a carpet; Egyptian rooms
were sometimes arranged in this way for the sake of coolness. The speakers
were probably sitting on the matting-covered floor just by the side of Dio's
couch.
"This heartburn will be the death of me," whispered one of the voices,
dignified and elderly.
"It's the goose's liver, father," answered the other voice, high-pitched
and respectful. "Would you like some telek? There is nothing like it for
indigestion; with lemon and cardamon it is most refreshing."
"It is a good thing you respect old people. And why do they call you
'Sparrow'?"
"Come now, don't be so modest about it: you must have grabbed 'the
man with the pig' from the cemetery thieves the other day...."
Dio remembered that a man holding a pig by the tail was the
hieroglyphic of lapis-lazuli, the Egyptian officials' favourite bribe—Hez-
Bet: hez—to hold and bet—a pig, and that the tomb of the ancient King
Saakerra had been robbed recently.
"Why, because he never knows which way the wind is blowing. There is
trouble brewing up in the town and the Lybian soldiers are mutinous
because they haven't had their pay for the last six months. And he, the fool,
is afraid of a rising, so he was delighted when the pay-money was sent the
other day from the king's treasury and ordered it to be distributed straight
away. But I was too sharp for him—I said nothing to him but kept back the
money and at once reported the whole thing to His Highness the Viceroy.
And what do you think? He thanked me, said 'well done,' patted me on the
cheek and promised to get me a job in his service. What do you think of that
now?"
"Splendid, father! There is no one like you for giving one a hint! ... But
if there really is a rising, it will be bad, won't it?"
"Bad for some and good for others. A fool burns in the fire and a clever
man warms his hands at it...."
The whisper became so low that Dio could not hear. Then it grew louder
again:
"He is a coward, but he can work himself up to a frenzy. They are all
like that, the Jews: they are cowards, but if it is anything to do with their
God they are frantic. And it is not only he—he is merely the knife, and the
hand that holds the knife is strong. Soon there will be things happening to
make one dizzy, my lad."
"It is dreadful to think of, father."
Dio listened with her heart beating so violently that she was afraid they
would hear it behind the partition. She understood that a vile and evil plot
was being hatched against the king—and she seemed to have a share in it;
perhaps that was why she suffered so, unable to decide whether to go or to
stay.
"Rejoice, my daughter! The grace of the god Aton be with you! Leave
us," he added, addressing his suite.
When all had gone out of the room he moved to the day couch and, half
reclining on it, motioned to Dio to sit down beside him; but he did it
unobtrusively so that there was no need for her to notice the gesture unless
she chose to do so. She did not notice it and sat down opposite him on a
folding chair with a seat of plaited leather straps.
The cat walked up to her and rubbed itself against her legs, thrusting its
head between her knees and mewing loudly, unlike a cat. Dio disliked cats
and especially this one: she fancied it was a huge, black, slimy reptile. The
cat never left Tuta's side and followed him about like a shadow.
"Why are you sitting here alone? Why didn't you send in your name?"
he asked in a low caressing voice that sounded like a cat purring.
"It was only your admirer Menheperra. Was that why you did not come
in?"
"Yes, it was."
"Ah, you wild creature! ... Come here, Ruru," he called to the cat, "You
have had enough of it?" he asked Dio.
"No, I don't mind," Dio said politely, but she would gladly have thrust
the clinging creature away.
The cat lifted its face and looked straight into Dio's eyes with its fiery
pupils. She pushed it slightly away with her foot, afraid that the cat might
jump on to her lap.
"Come now, you are being a nuisance!" Tuta laughed, seized the cat by
its collar and, dragging it on to the couch, made it lie down, spanked it and
said "Sleep!"
"Wait a minute, let me finish. I shall go away and you will remain alone
here and in these times you don't know from day to day what might
happen...."
"But I am coming!"
"Why so suddenly?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Oh, it's nothing. All will be over to-morrow. Of course it is a big town
and there are many fools about; they may want to die for their puppet and
then there is bound to be bloodshed, there is nothing for it...."
Dio understood that puppet meant the image of the god Khonsu.
"Know what?"
He sat up suddenly, put his feet on the floor, moved up to her, took her
by the hand and smiled in the ambiguous way, with a sort of wink, which,
again, there was no need for her to notice unless she chose to.
"You know, Dio, I have long wanted to ask you, why do you dislike me?
I have always been a friend to you. Tammuzadad saved you, but I, too, have
done something..."
Dio started and drew her hand away. Tuta pretended not to notice it and
continued to smile.
"Why do you think?...." she began, and broke off, blushing and looking
down. As always when she was alone with him she felt stiff, awkward—as
though she had done some wrong and been caught unawares.
"There, you treat me as you do Ruru: I am being nice to you and you
push me away," he laughed good-humouredly. "What do I want you for?
Feminine charm is a great power..."
"Not through you, but with you!" he said quietly with deep emotion,
looking straight into her eyes.
"And I want you because of him," he went on, after a pause. "He is very
difficult to get on with; you will help me: you love him and so do I—we
shall love him together...."
She understood that he was speaking of King Akhnaton and her heart
began to beat as violently as when she was listening to the whisper behind
the partition. She felt that she ought to say something, but she was spell-
bound as in a nightmare: she wanted to push away the clinging reptile and
could not.
"You haven't been to see Ptamose yet, have you?" he asked suddenly, as
though they had often spoken about it, while, as a matter of fact, they had
never exchanged a word on the subject. Once more he caught her unawares
like a naughty little girl.
"Come, come!" he said, with the same winking smile. "I won't betray
you, no one shall know of it. And even if they did know, what of it? I would
send you to him myself. He is a wise old man, a sage. He will tell you
everything; you will know what the war is about. Only babblers and court
flatterers imagine that we have won already. No, it is not so easy to conquer
the old faith. Our forefathers were not any stupider than we are. Amon—
Aton: is the dispute about a letter only? No, about the spirit. And indeed
Amon is the Great Spirit!"
When he had moved from the armchair to the couch he had taken with
him the staff with the gold sandals strapped to it. All of a sudden Dio bent
down, took up one of them, turned it sole upwards and pointed with her
finger to the image of Amon.
"And what have you here, prince? 'Amon the Great Spirit'?" she asked,
smiling with almost undisguised contempt, as though she were really
talking to a 'reptile.'