Munich, Germany (UroToday.com) Three-dimensional printing technology is significantly expanding in the field of urologic surgery. Its application in preoperative planning has been well documented. Authors of this study aimed to develop a reproducible patient specific pre-surgical model for the robotic-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy and practice surgeons skills prior to the surgical procedure.
Preoperative computer tomography imaging was obtained and 3D reconstruction of the renal mass and the kidney was created. Following the prototyping process that utilizes 3D extrusion printing, authors’ generated surgical models using a silicone based polymer.
These models were created in total of 3 patients. Pateints specific anatomic characteristics were generated based on preoperative imaging.The surgeons practiced the procedure prior to the operative day using a standard robotic setup and instruments.
This study demonstrates feasibility of 3D printing and its role in individualized surgical approach to each patients. 3D printing has a great potential in the application to urologic surgery. Further studies are needed to evaluate these in a greater number of patients.
Presented By:
Von Rundstedt F-C.
From the 31st Annual EAU Congress - March 12 - 15, 2016 – Munich, Germany