O022 Application of customised 3D printed models to aid undergraduate teaching and surgical planning in hepatobiliary surgery

Abstract

Abstract Introduction 3D-printing in maxillofacial surgery has been used for several years to construct bespoke prostheses prior to surgical procedures. This work aims to assess whether its role can be expanded into undergraduate teaching and surgical planning in hepatobiliary surgery. Methods Four patient CT scans with liver and renal pathology were deemed eligible for printing. A computer aided design was constructed for each scan, segmenting the organ, lesion, and vasculature. One kidney and three liver models were printed. Production time of the models ranged from 31 to 106 hours. One liver model with the associated CT scan was shown to 20 doctors of varying experience. They were asked to complete a survey evaluating its potential in surgery, aiding patient education, and anatomy education. The remaining models were used in an anatomy tutorial for 6 medical students, who were requested to complete a pre-and-post-session survey evaluating the potential for the 3D models in anatomy education. Results An average rating from the NHS-staff survey was 6.9 for pre-operative planning, 8.65 for aiding anatomy education, and 9.15 for potential use in patient education. Following the tutorial with the models, 4 of the 6 students felt their overall understanding of liver anatomy improved. In particular, all students expressed increased confidence in hepatic segmentation anatomy. Conclusion Our work shows that 3D-printed models can provide benefit in aiding clinical teaching and patient information. Future work will focus on use of the models as an aid to patient education in an outpatient setting. Take-home message 3D-printed models have a future in aiding anatomy education and hepatobiliary surgical planning. Further research can consolidate their applications.