China's first successful use of 3D printing technology to assist in the successful operation of complex hilar tumors

The reporter was informed by the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University on the 15th that the team led by Prof. Cui Jian, the director of the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the hospital, was the first in the country to use 3D printing technology to assist in the completion of complex hilar tumor surgery. That is, using 3D printing technology, a 3D lung resin model similar to a white coral is successfully printed according to the patient's lung image information.

As of July 15, the hospital's first 3D printing technology to treat complex hilar tumors has successfully treated 3 patients.

The 72-year-old Aunt Liu, after a chest surgery examination at the Fourth Hospital of Harbin Medical University, found that the hilar door had a tumor. In order to better complete the operation and reduce the risk of surgery, Cui Jian team and the team of Professor Qiu Zhaowen of the Institute of 3D Digital Technology of Northeast Forestry University worked together to print out the 3D model of Liu Aunt's diseased lung.

According to Cui Jian, the hilar tumor is located at the root of the lung. It is difficult to distinguish the relationship between the hilar tumor and the surrounding blood vessels by conventional CT. The operation risk is high and blood loss is more. After printing the 3D lung model, the true location of the tumor and the relationship between the tumor and the surrounding blood vessels can be clearly defined, and the surgery can be performed more accurately. From the 3D model, doctors also found that Aunt Liu's blood vessels were deformed. This blood vessel is generally not available, and Liu Aunt has a large blood vessel branching from the left subclavian artery in the left chest. If it is not noticed, it may be accidentally injured during surgery. With the help of the 3D model, Dr. Cui Jian’s surgical team successfully performed a lobectomy for Aunt Liu. Currently, Aunt Liu is recovering.

Cui Jian said that medicine has entered the era of precision, and more and more doctors no longer rely on years of experience, but apply computer-aided technology to clinical diagnosis and treatment. It can realize one-time solution of “diagnosis” and “governance”, thus eliminating the psychological burden of patients and families. 3D printing technology is especially suitable for medical implants, complex video-assisted thoracoscopic lung surgery and other fields.