The role of rapid prototyping for surgical planning in a case of caval thrombosis from kidney carcinoma

To define the impact of Rapid Prototyping for Surgical Planning (RPSP) in the surgeon's decision-making process when dealing with a very complex clinical scenario. Method & framework: A straightforward questionnaire involving four simple questions regarding specific technical aspects was administered to surgeons to evaluate their basic judgments on the surgical strategy to follow. Images from a standard CT scan were used for the subsequent processing and 3D printing of a very cheap anatomical model of a surgical scenario with a low-cost printer, which was shared with the surgeons. Finally, the same questionnaire was re-administered to the surgeons. The degree of judgment was found to be modified by approximately 25%. Conclusions: From a surgical point of view, the interaction with technical experts seems to add precious information to the clinical pre-surgical scenario for decision-making. Nevertheless, 3D printing was judged too slow for routine adoption.