Background
Complex thoracic surgery for tumor resection requires the participation of a surgical team and multiple imaging studies to develop the best approach and surgical plan for excision and chest wall reconstruction. When planning for these surgeries, visualizing the extent of the disease and its location with regards to the adjacent anatomy is key for their success. The 3D printed models can integrate the information provided by these imaging studies and easily allow the surgical team to identify and visualize the extent of the disease and the pertinent anatomy.
Educational Goals / Teaching Points
The exhibit will demonstrate how 3D printing facilitates the surgical planning and intraoperative guidance of complex thoracic tumors. It will provide information on the process of 3D printing and review how 3D printing is performed: segmentation, use of multiple imaging exams, specific materials used to create the models, quality assurance/validation of the 3D digital files and 3D printed models, and the postprocessing. It will also review the uses of the 3D-printed model. Specifically, it will demonstrate how these models assist in the development and rehearsal of the surgical plan by creating patient-specific cutting guides for accurate en-block removal of the tumor. It will also show how the models provide a physical and measurable surface that mimic the patient’s true anatomy, enabling the surgeons to create customized implantable prostheses for chest wall reconstruction. Last, it will describe the 3D printed patient-specific model’s usefulness in facilitating doctor–patient communication, the patient’s comprehension of their illness and consequences of the treatment plan.
Key Anatomic/Physiologic Issues and Imaging Findings/Techniques
3D printing in complex thoracic surgery, customized implants, presurgical planning, presurgical rehearsal, patient education, chest CT, chest MRI, and thoracic tumor.
Conclusion
This exhibit will discuss the current uses of 3D printing for the presurgical planning, rehearsal, and education in the clinical scenario of complex thoracic surgeries. The many advantages include customizable patient-specific models and prostheses, potentially shortened procedure time, and better patient understanding of disease among others.
