-
Mayo Clinic Minute: How 3D printing helps lung surgery
Share this:
Seeing inside the body with imaging tools, such as CT scans or MRIs, before performing an operation helps surgeons be more precise. And 3D printing adds another layer of preparation to the process.
Dr. Shanda Blackmon, a Mayo Clinic thoracic surgeon, explains how practicing on 3D models before surgery benefits patients.
Watch: The Mayo Clinic News Network
Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (0:59) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please "Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.
3D printing gives lung surgeons many benefits in the operating room.
"It helps us to communicate with patients in a way that helps them really understand what's happening," says Dr. Blackmon.
She says most patients don't know how to read a CT scan or X-ray.
"But when I show my patient a 3D print, they immediately understand what surgery we're planning on doing, how we're going to do it, and what approach we'll take," says Dr. Blackmon.
3D models of a patient's anatomy are particularly helpful when preparing for complex lung surgeries.
"If we have multiple teams in the operating room and we're doing a complex surgery, it helps us to plan who will do what part of the surgery and how will we do it," says Dr. Blackmon.
3D printing inspires surgeons to innovate.
"It helps us to think outside the box and to practice novel approaches without having to practice on the patient," says Dr. Blackmon.
Dr. Blackmon expects that eventually 3D models will be another tool in the toolbox to help surgeons improve their skills, be safer, and become more efficient and innovative.
Share this:
Related articles
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Heart failure is a potentially urgent health concern for young adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) that is often overlooked and undertreated, ...
Mayo Clinic doctors are using innovation to improve the lives of people who suffer from congestive heart failure and other chronic heart conditions. The Organ ...
Mayo Clinic researchers studying the genetics of people who had recently developed dilated cardiomyopathy, one of the most common causes of heart failure, have found a ...