Bordeaux University Hospital is using full colour 3D printing, multi-material, technology to supporting kidney cancer surgery.
Life-like transparent and full color models are being used by doctors pre-surgery to help them to perform precise and successful kidney-sparing operations and improve patient outcomes.
The technology from Stratasys is hoped to improve the success of complex kidney tumour removal by providing surgeons with a 3D model and a clearer view to help identify and avoid damage to arteries and vessels.
Jean-Christophe Bernhard, Urology Professor at Bordeaux University Hospital, says the clearer view offered by the 3D printed model helps identify and avoid damage to the delicate nearby arteries and vessels which, in the case of complex or high-volume tumors, can result in a patient’s kidney being completely removed.
“Having a 3D-printed model comprising the patient’s kidney tumor, main arteries and vessels – each in a different color – provides an accurate picture of what we will see during operations. The ability to visualise the specific location of a tumor in relation to these other elements, all in three dimensions, greatly facilitates our surgical planning and is not easily achievable from a 2D scan.”
“Describing kidney tumor removal with a 2D scan or diagram will invariably leave most patients somewhat bewildered. Presenting them with a 3D printed model that clearly shows the tumor puts them at ease and enables the patient to grasp exactly what we’re going to do. Indeed, initial research from patient questionnaires shows that having 3D printed models increases their understanding of the surgery by up to 50%, so it’s a considerable benefit in terms of overall patient care.”
