Bordeaux university hospital uses Stratasys J750 to improve complex kidney cancer surgery
The Stratasys J750 full-color multi-material 3D printer is being used by Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux (CHU de Bordeaux) to fabricate life-like transparent and color models for complex kidney tumor removal procedures.
As one of the only hospitals worldwide to use a J750 at its facilities, the hospital is leading the charge for precise kidney tumor removal cases and also allay any possible concerns from patients.
Using the models produced by the J750, surgeons are able to better identify arteries and vessels with the different sections printed with different colors. In a way, surgeons gain better confidence and minimize the risks of damaging arteries and vessels during surgery. This is hugely important as it lowers the risks of future chronic kidney disease.
“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 visualize the specific location of a tumor in all three dimensions greatly facilitates our surgical planning and is not easily achievable from a 2D scan,“ said Prof Jean-Christophe Bernard, Urology Professor at Bordeaux University Hospital.
Initial results from a collaborative research program, Rein 3D, has shown that having 3D printed models help to increase the understanding of the surgery by up to 50% which is a big plus benefit for patient care. Most patients end up bewildered when presented with a 2D scan or diagram as they listen to how the procedure will take place. A 3D printed model however clearly shows the tumor which puts a patient at ease and allows them to grasp the whole procedure better.
Carole Ridel, a patient who recently underwent surgery at the hospital, felt more reassured than she had ever had in prior surgeries. “I noticed that the tumors were on the external wall of the kidney, rather than inside the organ itself, so I was comforted by realizing the situation wasn’t as bad as I had imagined,” she said.
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