A 3D-Printed Anatomical Pancreas Model for Robotic-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery

The paper presents the design, manufacturing, and evaluation of a 3D-printed pancreas phantom model used for preoperative surgical planning and surgical training. Several manufacturing and design alternatives have been explored, leading to the final solution, which consisted of a transparent 3D printed elastic shell of the pancreas, resulting in an empty volume that was filled with a custom hydrogel to ensure an anatomically realistic behaviour. Additionally, specific vascular structures were printed using elastic material and specific colours. The hollow shell of the pancreas and the vascular structures were manufactured using photopolymerisation technology. The hydrogel, which replicates the internal structure of the pancreas, was made from a custom proportion of gelatine, agar, and glycerol. The phantom model of the pancreas was assessed by the surgical team and tested using the PARA-SILSROB parallel robot designed for single-incision surgical procedures.