A low-cost surgical application of additive fabrication

This study was used to test the feasibility of using additive fabrication techniques 3-dimensional (3D) printing to create personalized/patient-specific hepatic 3D physical models from clinical radiology studies for surgical resident education.

Patient-specific imaging data from either computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scans, in Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine format, were rendered and manipulated with computer software, translating the medical imaging data sets into useful 3D geometry files in stereo lithography format for 3D printing. A commercial third party was used to print the 3D models in laser sintered nylon, which provided access to expensive, industrial-grade, high-resolution 3-D printers at a low cost.

Multiple patient-specific preoperative 3D physical models were printed of portal and hepatic venous anatomy at a cost of less than $100 per model.

Current 3D printing techniques can be used to create low-cost personalized/patient-specific hepatic 3D models from clinical radiology studies for surgical resident education.