[Use of personalized 3D printed kidney models for partial nephrectomy]

Partial nephrectomy is a first-line treatment option for the management of renal tumors. It is a surgical procedure whose complexity and stakes vary according to the specific anatomy of the patient and his tumor. 3D modeling and 3D printing have become a means of representing and thus visualizing the tumor lesion and its anatomical relationships within the organ. This mode of visualization allows the surgeon and his team, but also the patient, to easily realize the tumor complexity, the predictable difficulty of the surgery and therefore the risks of complications. Various publications have reported the benefit to the patient in terms of pre-therapy education. Some have shown a benefit for the operator in terms of surgical planning. Finally, studies on preoperative surgical simulation showed shorter kidney lumpectomy times and less bleeding when surgeons were able to train before the operation on the corresponding 3D printed model. 3D printing therefore represents an innovative tool that would improve patient management prior to partial nephrectomy, through the information it can deliver, but also through surgical simulation.